Throughout the book there were many lessons learnt by Scout and Jem.From Boo Radley the children learn that things and rumours are not always what they seem. They believed that Boo was a bloodthirsty ghoul guilty of all "stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb," they eventually see that he is a neighbour who only wants to be their friend. By the end of the novel, Boo becomes their saviour, coming to their rescue and finally revealing himself by saving their lives from the murderous hands of Bob Ewell... Although Atticus is assigned Tom Robinson's case, Atticus does his best to give Tom the best defence possible. Colour does not matter to Atticus Finch, and he tries to instil this in Scout and Jem. He also teaches them to respect their elders, even if the elderly people are cranky and sometimes mean. When Jem disrespects Mrs DeBose by ripping up her flowers, Atticus makes Jem spend time reading to her. It is only through this that Jem learns that the old woman suffers from terrible pain and is fighting a drug addiction. By being forced to spend time with her, Jem learns to respect a woman in pain. Atticus teaches her not to judge others and to try "walking around in their skin", or to put herself in their place. Atticus especially teaches tolerance when he receives the Robinson case and decides to take action, despite the ways of his neighbours and community. He pushes his family to stand by him without violence towards the people that disagree with him.
Atticus' lesson about standing in someone else's shoes or skin has the biggest impact on Scout. Scout can empathize with Mayella Ewell, and begins to understand what it really means to be Mayella. Scout can see that Mayella is stuck in a difficult situation, and almost pities her. Scout puts herself in Atticus' shoes, and can understand how difficult the Tom Robinson trial is for him. Most importantly, Scout puts herself in Boo Radley's shoes. She comes to understand that he's not a creepy recluse, but perhaps sees better than anyone the discrimination in the town. He is kind and he saved her life. It seems to me that Scout will use this lesson throughout the rest of her life to help her understand people who are different from her.
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