To Kill A Mocking Bird Essay
Lindsay&Hannah


Compassion and forgiveness play a big roll in the book “To Kill A Mocking Bird” there are several times were Atticus forgives the towns people for their assumptions, and how they acted towards him and his family. Scout and Jem are compassionate towards Tom Robinsons trial and Atticus throughout the story as well.

In the book, Atticus says “If you can learn a simple trick Scout, you’ll get along better with all kinds of folks. 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.” This piece of advice is used a few times throughout the story. “Jem remained moody and silent for a week. As Atticus had once advised me to do so, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it: If I had gone to the Radley Place at two in the morning, my funeral would have been held the next afternoon. So I left him alone, and tried not to bother him.” Atticus uses his own advice when he says. “ Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at the trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does, so if spitting in my face, and threatening me saved Mayella one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody, and I’d rather it be me than a house full of children. At the end of the story, Scout puts herself in Boo Radley’s shoes one last time when she say’s ”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.”

There is a lot of forgiveness shown throughout “To Kill A Mockingbird”, like when Jem destroys Mrs.Dubose’s flowers, Atticus make Jem follow through with the punishment that she gave him. Also, when the mob went to the jail to kill Tom Robinson, Atticus forgave them. When Walter Cunningham got Scout in trouble in class and she forgave him and had him over for dinner. “This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends, but remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.”

During the trial, the Finch family shows a lot of compassion towards Tom Robinson. Atticus gets appointed to defend Tom by the judge, because he knows that Atticus will take the case seriously, gather the most evidence possible, and do the best he can. Atticus protects Tom from getting killed on night at the jail, when Atticus sits outside Tom’s cell, and protects him from the mob. The Finch family really believed what Atticus was saying throughout the whole case, and thought that the verdict would be not guilty.

There is a lot of compassion and forgiveness throughout the book. There are life lessons in this story that people can learn from, and make the world a better place.