To Kill A Mockingbird Lessons Essay
One of the main lessons that Scout learns in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is that you can’t fully understand who someone is until you walk in his shoes, a lesson that Scout learns while standing on Boo’s porch and seeing from his point of view. When Scout gets home from her first day at school with Miss Caroline, she recounts the “crimes” of her day. Scout sits on Atticus’s lap and tells him about Miss Caroline’s notion that he shouldn’t have taught Scout to read, and after some contemplation, Atticus says to her, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Page 39) When Atticus first enlightens Scout with this knowledge, she doesn’t really
follow his thought, and continues arguing about the injustice of Miss Caroline’s ideas without considering Miss Caroline’s point of view. When Scout eventually meets Boo Radley and stands on his porch, she begins to fully comprehend what Atticus had said. Standing on Boo’s porch, she is literally seeing from his perspective and realizing how a society’s view of a person doesn’t always reflect who they actually are. Later in the novel, while Scout is standing on Boo’s porch, she reflects back on Atticus’s advice: “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” (Page 374) Once Scout has seen what Boo sees, she realizes how much she had misunderstood Boo —all he wanted to do was play with and help Scout and Jem, but all of Maycomb thought that Boo was a violent, insane murderer. The Maycombians deemed Boo dangerous and crazy based on false assumptions, when in reality, he is gentle and kind. Scout learned not to judge someone’s character before shedding all bias and stepping into their shoes.
follow his thought, and continues arguing about the injustice of Miss Caroline’s ideas without considering Miss Caroline’s point of view. When Scout eventually meets Boo Radley and stands on his porch, she begins to fully comprehend what Atticus had said. Standing on Boo’s porch, she is literally seeing from his perspective and realizing how a society’s view of a person doesn’t always reflect who they actually are. Later in the novel, while Scout is standing on Boo’s porch, she reflects back on Atticus’s advice: “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” (Page 374) Once Scout has seen what Boo sees, she realizes how much she had misunderstood Boo —all he wanted to do was play with and help Scout and Jem, but all of Maycomb thought that Boo was a violent, insane murderer. The Maycombians deemed Boo dangerous and crazy based on false assumptions, when in reality, he is gentle and kind. Scout learned not to judge someone’s character before shedding all bias and stepping into their shoes.