#Themes in to kill a mockingbird empathy skin
#Themes in to kill a mockingbird empathy trial

As such, the men and women of To Kill a Mockingbird adhere to their socially dictated roles, with the exception of Scout, who embodies the flexibility of gender roles.

In the Great Depression era of America, normative notions of femininity and masculinity were rigidly imposed on women and men: women were expected to be polite and compliant, whereas men were expected to be strong, dominant, and aggressive. While the expectation of traditional gender roles is one of the more understated themes of To Kill a Mockingbird, they inform many of the characters’ behaviors and personalities. Thus, we must attempt to understand a person’s life from their individual perspective, which will encourage us to live with empathy without becoming overly cynical about mankind’s immoral tendencies. He realizes that most people have both admirable and detestable qualities no one person is unambiguously evil or good. Ewell.Ītticus exemplifies the moral voice of the film-he has encountered evil time and time again, but has not lost his faith in humanity. Regarding the tension between opposing forces of morality, Mulligan implies how goodness can prevail against evil in the final conflict of the film when the true goodness of Boo Radley saves Jem and Scout from the true evilness of Mr. However, once they confront the ignorance and prejudice which threaten the forces of good-like Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, whose innocence become destroyed by the cold and hateful men surrounding them-they have to incorporate their experiences of evil into their life praxis and point of view of the world. At the beginning of the film, Scout and Jem believe in the fundamental goodness in people, as they have Atticus as a role model and have never been exposed to evil. One of To Kill a Mockingbird’s most crucial themes is the exploration of human beings’ morality. In other words, she has finally realized the importance of treating people with empathy: it not only enables more people to treat each other with diplomacy and compassion, but it also prompts a more mature understanding of the world altogether. Scout recognizes Arthur/“Boo” as a human being instead of a monster, and when she escorts him home and surveys the neighborhood from his perspective of the porch, she has a newfound respect for Boo’s point of view and understands that his experiences are just as valuable as hers.

#Themes in to kill a mockingbird empathy skin

However, after listening to Atticus’s pearls of wisdom (“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it”), Scout gradually begins to treat others with sympathy, a process that culminates in the final scene of the film. These moral lessons are particularly effective for Scout, who begins the film with an inability to empathize with point of views that challenge her own or feel foreign to her. Throughout the film, Atticus encourages his children to step outside of their own sheltered, egocentric worlds and into other people’s shoes. Unfortunately, by the end of the film, no significant progress has been made in changing the town’s conceptions of race, though Atticus’s powerful defense summation likely did challenge several people’s ingrained prejudices, as evidenced by the jury’s hours of deliberation.

However, this position is shared by few, and most of Maycomb’s residents are shrouded with racism and hateful bigotry. Atticus combats racism, and Jem, Scout, Miss Maudie, and Sheriff Tate all seem to uphold anti-racist ideologies.

#Themes in to kill a mockingbird empathy trial

As Atticus notes, Tom Robinson’s case should have never even been brought to trial race is the deciding factor in both his conviction and the jury’s decision. Romantic entanglements between whites and Blacks are unspeakable, which underlines why Mayella’s guilt over attempting to seduce Tom led to her falsely accusing him of rape and putting his life at stake. In the film, we see the separation of races in the courtroom, and more broadly in society, with Maycomb split into distinct black and white areas. During the Depression, and throughout human history, Black people have been subjected to segregation and systematic racism designed to maintain their subordination to whites.

Racism and the ideas of race pervade To Kill a Mockingbird.