To Kill A Mockingbird Innocence Quotes

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To truly understand someone, you must step in their shoes. You have to know how they live, to see how they see. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” created by Harper Lee, the narrator, Scout, looks back on her time as a young girl, and this story is told by several series of flashbacks. However, during this period of time, her father, Atticus, is a lawyer who has to defend an impossible case. He has to defend a black man against a white woman claiming rape. Even though the female, Mayella, has nothing to do with the case, just her words. Tom explains what had happened along with the details. He had never touched her sexually, let alone rape her. Even with obvious innocence, Tom, the black man, is sent to jail. Soon after, he tries to escape…show more content…
During the trial, Tom is going against Mayella, a white woman who claimed rape. However, Tom claims he did not, and explains the past before this even happens. “Mr. Gilmer smiled grimly at the jury. ‘You’re a mighty good fellow it seems--did all of this for not one penny?’ ‘Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of them-’” (Lee 197). During the 1930’s, racism was still a major problem in the United States of America. In Maycomb, a black person was not nearly as socially accepted as a white person. In their eyes, this was unspeakable, A black man could not “feel” bad for a white woman. Empathy itself is required to be on the level, or above the said person. Tom implied that he was at, or above, Mayella. The court was in rage because of this. But nonetheless, anyone can feel empathy. Often on Jem and Scout’s walks, they were harassed by Mrs. Dubose. When Jem decapitated her flowers and is forced to read for her, up until the point of death, Jem loathed her. However, Mrs. Dubose left Jem a Gift, a box with one of the surviving flowers. “Jem picked up the candy box and threw it in the fire. He picked up the camellia, and when I went off to bed I saw him fingering the wide petals.” (Lee 112). Jem, before this point loathed Mrs. Dubose, he was fairly glad she kicked the bucket. All those hours reading to her, finally over. However, Atticus…show more content…
You do it everyday, but you don't do it on purpose. At the beginning of the novel, Scout has a hard time relating to other people and how they view things, at one time, she consults Atticus about how people think differently. “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.” (Lee 30). Atticus is simply explaining that to truly understand how someone feels, is to view it from their angle. Thus, you must have empathy, even though it is not directly said, this is empathy. After the trial, Bob Ewell chases after Atticus because he was humiliated in court. Atticus, however, keeps his head held high to protect a girl that he was just acquainted with. “So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody, and is rather it be me than that household of children out there.” (Lee 218). Atticus understood that Bob Ewell was a misunderstood man, and he understood that he needed to take it out on someone. However, he didn't want it to be on the children, but rather
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