preview

How Does Atticus Change In To Kill A Mockingbird

Good Essays

Byron 1 A Walk in Another’s Shoes Naturally, there is good and evil in every person. However, it is often difficult to see the good in people, especially in the face of adversity. Atticus, a central character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is the exception. Atticus leads by example in showing his fellow townspeople that they must change if they are going to eliminate the deep-rooted hatred and prejudice that has plagued the South for years. This conflict arises as Atticus, a skilled southern lawyer, and his children, use the trial of Tom Robinson and surrounding events as an exploitation of the prejudices and hatred that make up small town America during the 1930’s. Atticus is able to achieve this feat by simply asking …show more content…

Atticus’s effort is somewhat inspirational to those who wish for change, including the Cunningham on the jury. Instead of allowing the overwhelming hypocrisy and hatred of the town to get in his way, Atticus chooses to persevere and show the townspeople that they will never learn to accept each other and look at each other differently if they do not keep an open mind. Atticus’s dedication to proving Tom innocent (by showing that it is impossible for him to hurt Mayella, as his left arm is crippled) changes the mindset of a single person – a Cunningham on the jury. The Cunningham can now walk in the shoes of innocence – the shoes of Tom Robinson; he can fix some of his Atticus knows that if he wants change to take place, his children must also learn to keep an open mind. In fact, he states that “…they’ll do it again and when they do it – seems as though only children weep…” (Lee 285). This quote shows that many people have yet to change, but of these people, children are the most capable of doing so. He tells his children that the reason why the jury took so long to make their decision is because one person openly supports the fact …show more content…

When Scout comes home from school one-day complaining about how the teacher disapproves of her reading with Atticus, he gives her a piece of advice: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from her point of view” (Lee 39). The concept of addressing a problem by standing in the shoes of the “enabler” allows the much needed change to be observed. Mrs. Gates, Scout’s third grade teacher, tells her class, “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody” (Lee 329). As one can observe, Mrs. Gates speaks of Hitler as showing prejudice against the Jews. However, the prejudice she exhibits in America (against Tom Robinson) is, in an essence, the same as the prejudice the Nazis exhibited against the Jews. Both Hitler and Mrs. Gates lack the ability to change their views and perspective; it is here where the so-called prejudice originates. Hitler is by no means innocent of any crime he has committed; but, by accusing him, Mrs. Gates is accusing herself. Ms. Caroline, Scout’s first grade

Get Access