She had not considered why he had given the presents, but just accepted them. Scout realized that he was being friendly, but she had not been friendly back to him. But neighbors give in return… We had given him nothing, and it made me sad” (Lee 320). He had gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies and our lives. This is evident because Scout said, “Boo was our neighbor. This incident caused Scout to begin changing her perception of him. Though she does not understand this at first, Scout soon learned that Boo left her presents in an attempt to start a friendship. The presents included chewing gum, dolls, a watch, and pennies. Boo disregarded their disrespect and impoliteness towards him and left the kids presents in a tree. The trio would run past his house in fear, but later began mockingly running up to his porch. Scout, Charles (Dill) Harris, and Jem soon begun playing a game called “Boo Radley”, where they rudely imitated him and his family. Hearing what people said about Boo Radley, she grew afraid of him, and made fun of him. She heard her neighbors’ say bad things about him, some statements accurate, others not. At the beginning when Scout was immature and childish, she actively listened to the neighborhood gossip about Boo Radley. Scout changed her perspective of the person she feared most (Boo Radley), by putting herself in his shoes. Seeing Calpurnia’s struggle and love for her, Scout saw beyond her immaturity and saw how Calpurnia was actually like her mother, and not a tyrant. Despite Lula saying mean things to her, and Aunt Alexandra attempting to relieve her of her duties, Calpurnia remained kind and loving. She did not think of anyone in a negative manner, no matter how evil they were to her. In a time of mutual hatred between the black and white communities, Calpurnia demonstrated love and peace. She realized that Calpurnia was more like a mother figure to her than a servant. Seeing Calpurnia’s struggle, and love for her and Jem, Scout realized her perception of Calpurnia was wrong. She saw how Calpurnia stood up for her beliefs, and for her and Jem, to Lula by saying, “It’s the same God, ain’t it?” (Lee 136). She found out that Calpurnia had educated herself and her son, when most of the black community was uneducated. She saw Calpurnia speak two different languages, one that the regular church-goes understood, and one that Scout and Jem understood, to make both parties felt comfortable. At First Purchase Church, Scout saw how difficult life was for African-Americans in Maycomb County. Though Scout did not realize it at the beginning, she soon realized how wrong her opinion was. However, this perspective could not be more false. Scout believed this because she was always forced to listen to Calpurnia, and Atticus always chose Calpurnia’s side over hers. “I had felt her tyrannical presence as long as I could remember” (Lee 5). Scout was narrow-minded, and thus had a negative view of Calpurnia. She was only eight years old, and lacked the ability to see all the sides of the story. As Scout starts seeing things from the perspectives of Calpurnia, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson, she begins to see past her ignorance and realizes that society has a great capacity for evil, but also has a great capacity for good.Īt the beginning of the book, Scout was young, ignorant, and childish. Though Scout is unable to see things from different perspectives at the beginning of the book, she slowly acquires that skill. He believes that seeing things from other people’s angles helps one get a better understanding of the truth. Atticus, trying to teach his children good morals and values, teaches Scout to see things from different perspectives. She lives in a society that resents blacks, and one judges people based on color and family history. Jean-Louise Finch (Scout) is a young girl living in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Atticus Finch tells this quote to the main character, Scout Finch, in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. “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” (Lee 33).
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