Atticus Empathy Quotes

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The Power of Empathy in To Kill A Mockingbird
One must understand before we judge anything, even if that means digging all the way down to the root. As individuals, one commonly judges others based on their physical appearance or skill set, but people must understand that to really know what a person is talking about; you must walk in their shoes. Through her vivid characters and expressive language, Harper Lee has displayed empathy magnificently in To Kill A Mockingbird. Throughout the novel, Atticus, Jem, and Scout have portrayed the ability to empathize, as they interact with other characters and situations. Atticus has immensely changed people’s perspectives throughout his career. His courage, integrity, and empathy have displayed his passion …show more content…
Atticus symbolizes how the color of your skin doesn’t make you who you are, your heart does. This is shown when Atticus expresses his feelings towards the kind people that gifted his family food for standing up for Tom. He says, ‘“Tell them I’m very grateful, tell them---tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard. . . . .”’ (Lee 286). This expresses the passion and integrity Atticus shows when it comes to justice towards colored folks. He is extremely grateful for the kind gesture, but still keeps in mind that they must have spent a fortune gathering the food for the Finch’s. This signifies how grounded Atticus is and how he can never stop thinking of others. When he states, ‘“Times are too hard”’ (286), he isn’t talking about himself, but is talking about the coloured community in Maycomb. He realizes how crucial this situation is for the citizens of Maycomb and that he can’t let them down. Atticus is true to himself and others so when he says, ‘“Best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open”’ (366), he believes that the truth will come out eventually and you can’t hide from it. Atticus always puts himself into the situation, so that he can deeply understand the position of the person. This also signifies that Atticus views situations from a different perspective and wants the truth to be crystal clear. …show more content…
She has proven that the influence of others around can change who you really are. Scout used to believe that what you see on the outside is how a person really is, but as problems occurred the first glimpse of Scout’s new perspective was revealed. When she says, ‘“As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo”’ (191), displays that she is realizing how tough Mayella’s life has been and the difficulties Mayella has had to withstand. It also shows that Scout has realized that Mayella did not intend to harm Tom, but was just extremely lonely and needed someone by her side. Mayella has gone through exceedingly tough circumstances with their lack of money. She has had to deal with a great amount of pressure which forced her into causing such a horrific crime that Scout realizes during the trial. This quote signifies how Scout is maturing throughout the trial and is really stepping into Boo and Mayella’s shoes with true thought and passion. Scout has started to perceive life in a completely different way which has helped her learn the positive and negative aspects of the merciless town, Maycomb. This is evident when Scout says, ‘“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough’” (279).This
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