Essay On Atticus Shoes In To Kill A Mockingbird

Words: 487
Pages: 2

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee explains that it is necessary that people look at situations from different perspectives and put themselves in other people’s shoes in order to understand other points of view. While Atticus is talking to Jem and Scout, he explains to them that Scout had put Mr. Cunningham in his shoes by talking innocently to Mr. Cunningham , reminding him that he was also a father. Also, Scout reminded Mr. Cunningham that Atticus had helped him before and that Walter Cunningham Jr. had eaten dinner at the Finches. Mr. Cunningham realizes that Atticus was defending his client, Tom Robinson; likewise Atticus had defended him in last years. After the night of the incident at the jail, Atticus says to Jem and Scout, …show more content…
Cunningham about entailment and about his son, reminding Mr. Cunningham how to act and that he is a sensible human being. After Scout mentioned that Miss Caroline had offered money to a Cunningham, Atticus explains that Scout needs to look at it from her teacher's perspective to understand the situation. Atticus also mentions that Miss Caroline had learned many things and it was only the first day of school. Atticus told Scout that "she had learned not to hand something to a Cunningham, for one thing, but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we’d have seen it was an honest mistake on her part" (16). Atticus tells Scout that she needs to put herself into Miss Caroline’s place to understand that it was an honest mistake and that she is not accustomed to Maycomb and its customs. Miss Caroline did not know the Cunninghams and Scout realized that is was not her fault. Additionally, Scout and Boo had walked home together, and Scout was now on the Radley porch looking around from Boo Radley's point of view. Scout realized how interesting it was to be on the porch where Boo Radley had been watching over them all these years. Atticus had once said "you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them"