Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Does Atticus's advice get taken or not in Chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus's advice about not understanding a person until one considers things from that person's point of view is certainly taken by Scout and also by Jem.


Certainly, the clearest evidence of this advice having been taken is in Chapter 31 of To Kill a Mockingbird as Scout stands on the Radley porch after having walked Boo Radley back to his home from her house. As Scout looks at her neighborhood from this perspective, she begins to understand how Boo has watched them through the seasons and vicariously lived through their activities. Thus, he must have thought of them as "his children." And, when they were attacked by the villainous Bob Ewell, "his children needed him."



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.



Scout has stood in Boo's "shoes" and walked in them.


Another example that supports the advice of Atticus is Jem's experience with Mrs. Dubose. Whereas he has previously believed Mrs. Dubose to be a cantankerous, spiteful old woman who cruelly maligns the integrity of his father, Jem's being forced to read to her in her dying days causes him to learn otherwise. Mrs. Dubose has been under the influence of morphine because of her terrible pain, so she was not truly herself when she issued such biting insults at his father.
Getting to know Mrs. Dubose better--standing in her shoes, so to speak--has caused Jem to understand her previous behavior.

No comments:

Post a Comment

How does author Elie Wiesel use symbolism to contribute to the meaning of Night?

In his book Night , Elie Wiesel uses symbolism throughout to enhance the text. First of all, the title itself is symbolic. The word "ni...