TKM Theme: The theme of empathy is found throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, and also that the only way you can truly understand someone is to climb into their skin. Empathy leads to the better understanding of differences in people.
By grantc19
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"If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get a long a lot 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."Chapter 3 Pg.39
-At this point in the book Atticus is talking to Scout about her explanations of families to the teacher and when she got in a fight with Walter Cunningham. -This quote relates to the theme because it is the first time the point of view statement was brought up. -
"Atticus says, 'I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through this without bitterness, and most of all,without catching Macomb's usual disease... I just hope Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town.'" Chapter 9 Pg.117
-It is Christmas and the family is all together. The Tom Robinson case is brought up and Atticus does not want his children to become racist and prejudice.
-This relates to the theme because this is where racism and prejudice is first brought up and it gives us Atticus's opinion on the subject. It shows Atticus understands that the color of skin does not matter and he has empathy for Negroes. -
"Well, Atticus, I was just sayin' to Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad an' all that, but you said not to worry, it takes a long time sometimes... That you all'd ride it out together..." Chapter 15 Pg. 205
-At this point in the book, there is a mob at the jail and Scout is talking to the mob and just so happened to change their minds and send them home
-The physical contents of this quote do not relate to the theme, but the effect it has on the mob and Mr. Cunningham is that it puts them in Scout and Atticus's point of view. -
Chapter 16 Pg. 210
"So it took an eight year old child to bring 'em to their senses, didn't it? said Atticus. "That proves something, that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they are still human." " you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute. That was enough." -This is where Atticus is talking to Scout and Jem after the mob at the jail. -This relates because Atticus actually states that the kids made Walter Cunningham stand in his shoes. -
"-some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women--black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men." Chapter 20 Pg. 273
-This is in Atticus's closing argument of the trial. He is stating that yes some Negroes are bad, but some white guys are bad too and same with any other race.
-This quote relates to the theme because it is taking away all bias of blacks being immoral and wicked while placing whites in the same shoes as blacks, and blacks as the same shoes as whites. It is making the jury experience empathy for Tom Robinson -
"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." Chapter 31 Pg. 374
-This is at the end of the book when Scout is standing on the Radley porch looking over the neighborhood and imagining the past three years going by.
-She now understands, literally, Boo Radley's point of view of everything and she now understands him. Seeing what Boo Radley sees and saw was enough for her. She has finally fully developed the ability to "crawl into someone's skin" -
Chapter 7 Pg. 77
"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 two in the morning, my funeral would have been held the next afternoon. So I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him." -This is the part of the book where Scout was mad that Jem went to the Radley Place alone, to get his pants. She was mad that he went without her.
-This quote relates to the theme because Scout did not understand why Jem was leaving her alo -
"This case, Tom Robinson's case, is something that goes to the essence of a man's conscience -- .... The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a persons conscience" Chapter 11 Pg. 139
-The context of this quote is when Atticus is explaining to Scout why he is defending Tom Robinson. Scout was curious because Mrs. Dubose was saying bad things about Atticus.
-This relates to the theme because Scout needs to put herself in Atticus's shoes and understand why he feels this is right and because Atticus is standing up to the racist bias the rest of Macomb falls to.
