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Page 39 -"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."
Atticus describes to Scout that you can't judge a person until you have seen, thought, and experienced what they have. Atticus is talking about how empathy leads to compassion and understanding. This is the explicit theme of "To Kill a Mockingbird". -
"As Atticus had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem's skin and walk around in it: if I had gone alone to the Radley Place at 2 in the morning,my funeral would have been held the next afternoon.So I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him."
This quote is on page 77 of "To Kill a Mockingbird". This quote explains the situation when Jem gets his pants stuck on the Radley's fence. She assumes that if she was in Jem's skin, Boo Radley would have killed her before she got home. She is sympathetic of Jem, but not Boo. -
Page 117- "Atticus says, "I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through thus without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb's usual disease...I just hope Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town."
Atticus describes 'Maycomb's usual disease' as the town's racism and prejudice. He hopes Scout and Jem will always know to treat everyone fairly no matter their appearance or thoughts, and not be influenced by others who think so. This quote relates to empathy because it shows how Atticus hopes Jem and Scout have empathy for blacks and understand what it is like to have a different race in these times. -
Page 116- "Scout's got to learn to keep her head and learn soon, with what's in store for her these next few months."
Atticus and Uncle Jack talk about how Scout needs to learn to use words over her fist. Scout shows provincialism in her ignorance of empathy. Her immaturity lets her fight without talking it over with someone first. Atticus tries to teach her to fight wisely with her words. -
Pages 139-140- "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a persons conscience."
Atticus says that his conscience is what makes him do the Tom Robinson case because he couldn't go to church before God and life with himself if he didn't try to help Tom. This relates to the theme because Atticus has empathy for an black man going through a hard time. -
Page 204- "Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How's your entailment gettin' along?"
Atticus is being surrounded by a lynch mob trying to hurt Tom. Scout runs up to the mob because she thinks someone is about to get jumped. She says this quote to get the men in the mob's attention. This quote is an example of Scout's immaturity because she doesn't understand the theme of empathy. She doesn't understand what it's like to have an entailment or be as poor as the Cunninghams, so says this without realizing its impact. -
Page 210- "You children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute."
Scout, Jem, and Atticus are eating at dinner and talking about the event of Atticus and the mob. Scout asks Atticus if him and Mr. Cunningham are still friends and why because Mr. Cunningham tried to hurt Atticus. Atticus has empathy for Mr. Cunningham because he understands that everyone has good and bad days. Also, Atticus tells Scout how that night she made Mr. Cunningham have sympathy for Atticus and made Mr. Cunningham see why Atticus felt he had to represent Tom Robinson. -
Pages 274-275- "I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty."
This quote is part of Atticus' closing sentences in trial for the Tom Robinson case. Atticus tries to convince the jury to have empathy for Tom. He tries to show them that just because Tom is black doesn't mean that he isn't a person. He tries to show that Tom has a family who he loves and they love him in return. -
Page 373-"I had never seen the neighborhood from this angle."
Scout is on the Radley's porch looking out into the neighborhood. She finally sees what he has seen throughout the book. She compares this to being in Boo Radley's shoes because she finally understands his life and how he saw things. Scout now understands him and has compassion for him.
