Scout’s Lessons in “to Kill a Mocking Bird”
Scout’s Lessons in “To Kill a Mocking Bird”
It can be said that no matter where or how, we as humans tend to learn a new lesson every single day. Some we may remember for a lifetime, while some we forget the next morning, but no matter what, lessons are something all individuals go through within their lives. Similarly, in the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Scout is a character who learns many major lessons throughout her adventures and encounters. Over the course of the story, Scout grows and matures from the lessons she learns. Through her experiences, she is taught empathy, the existence of good and evil, and the racial inequality within her community. To begin with, one of the most important lessons Scout learns during this entire novel is empathy. In other words, she learns how to understand the feelings of others. Scout learns throughout the course of the story to acknowledge how others feel before speaking carelessly or saying something reckless. For instance, her lack of empathy at first is shown through her encounter with Walter Cunningham. When Jem invites Walter over for dinner, Scout had been constantly criticising him. Even during the first day of school, Scout had unintentionally judged the Cunningham family. After Walter had refused to accept money from the teacher, Scout had lectured the teacher about Walter Cunningham, stating how “the Cunningham’s never took anything they can’t pay back” (31). Although Scout’s intentions were not actually to judge or insult Walter; they were just to answer the teachers question about why Walter wouldn’t take the money, the words that came out Scout’s mouth seemed like a judgement or insult. Even as Walter was invited over for dinner, Scout had questioned the way he ate, which towards his father seemed like another insult. Scout never had bad intentions, she was just very young, inexperienced and had a lack of empathy for others. Her empathy eventually develops over time as she was lectured by Calpurnia
It can be said that no matter where or how, we as humans tend to learn a new lesson every single day. Some we may remember for a lifetime, while some we forget the next morning, but no matter what, lessons are something all individuals go through within their lives. Similarly, in the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Scout is a character who learns many major lessons throughout her adventures and encounters. Over the course of the story, Scout grows and matures from the lessons she learns. Through her experiences, she is taught empathy, the existence of good and evil, and the racial inequality within her community. To begin with, one of the most important lessons Scout learns during this entire novel is empathy. In other words, she learns how to understand the feelings of others. Scout learns throughout the course of the story to acknowledge how others feel before speaking carelessly or saying something reckless. For instance, her lack of empathy at first is shown through her encounter with Walter Cunningham. When Jem invites Walter over for dinner, Scout had been constantly criticising him. Even during the first day of school, Scout had unintentionally judged the Cunningham family. After Walter had refused to accept money from the teacher, Scout had lectured the teacher about Walter Cunningham, stating how “the Cunningham’s never took anything they can’t pay back” (31). Although Scout’s intentions were not actually to judge or insult Walter; they were just to answer the teachers question about why Walter wouldn’t take the money, the words that came out Scout’s mouth seemed like a judgement or insult. Even as Walter was invited over for dinner, Scout had questioned the way he ate, which towards his father seemed like another insult. Scout never had bad intentions, she was just very young, inexperienced and had a lack of empathy for others. Her empathy eventually develops over time as she was lectured by Calpurnia