Kill a Mockingbird Learning Empathy:

¶ … Kill a Mockingbird Learning Empathy: Scout's Journey in Harper Lee's to Kill a Mockingbird Racial prejudices have long tainted the American culture and hindered true justice and freedom from being allowed to reign over the daily lives of Americans everywhere. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, this theme is explored, but also with the understanding that opening up one's perceptions of other people's views on life can help ease such racial tensions which have plagued the nation for so long.

From the view of an innocent six-year-old named Scout, the world of exploring others perspectives shows how we can all get around our fears of the outsider and stop bigotry and selfish behavior which causes pain and suffering for so many. The novel was written by Harper Lee in 1960 and reflects racial tensions within the South in the era of the Great Depression.

The narrator of the story is Scout Finch, the daughter of Atticus Finch who is represented as the archetypical lawyer who remains unbiased against the case despite the major racial prejudices in place in the South during the time. Atticus represents the honor of true justice, and despite what he knows will plague his family for defending an African-American, he knows he must do what is right.

The story itself deals with a horrible story of an alleged rape of a white girl and racial inequality which blames the African-American man charged with assaulting her. Atticus is assigned to defend the African-American Tom Robinson who had been accused of raping a young white woman in the community.

This causes Scout and her brother to receive much insult based on their father for defending an African-American accused of one of the most volatile crimes in the racist South, "Hey Scout -- how come your daddy defends niggers? Scout's daddy defends nig…gers!" (Lee 6). After Atticus begins the trial it becomes clearer and clearer that the woman accusing Robinson of rape had actually made sexual advances towards him and was ashamed enough to claim rape when she was discovered by her father.

Despite the circumstantial evidence against him, the racial prejudices of the South prevail and Robinson is convicted and later shot when trying to escape from prison. Throughout this whole ordeal Scout begins to see beyond her childish prejudices and understand how live is from other people's perspectives. She can't understand what it is like to be in the life of another, and so she lives her own selfish existence. Scout initially fears.

Scout initially fears "Boo" Radley based on his race and his seclusion, "You never understand a person until you consider things from his point-of-view until you climb into his skin and walk around in," (Lee 62). Yet, once she can begin to "climb" into other people's skin, she understands the error of her ways. Eventually she and her brother begin to slowly understand Boo as an affectionate person rather than one to be feared.

He had begun initial communication with the children by presenting them gifts, yet still refused to come out of his reclusion, "Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it; we had given him nothing, and it made me sad," (Lee 39).

In the end, it is Boo who saves Scout and her brother from the abuse caused by Bob Ewell, the father of the daughter accusing Robinson of raping her. Ewell drunkenly attacks the children and seriously injures Jem, Scout's brother. Seeing this take place in front of his house, Boo comes to the children's rescue.

This selfless act makes Scout feel sorry for never thanking or repaying Boo for all of his gifts he had given to the children, fully bringing about her compassionate consideration for the lives of others and their own unique points-of-views. As she learns to understand others.