To Kill a Mockingbird - Essay Example

Being too judgmental is a timeless problem. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird takes us to Macomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, when a much different America than we know today existed. Racism was the norm, not the exception, and attorney Atticus Finch − father of the sassy six-year-old protagonist, Scout − wastes no opportunity to teach his daughter valuable lessons growing up in a judgmental society. Hearing Scout jump to conclusions about a mysterious neighbor, he tells her, “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,” (Lee, 36). Here, the reader is confronted with the fact we all hate to be judged, especially when people know little about us. This reasoning is not just something Atticus teaches Scout about the creepy, seemingly psychopathic neighbor, Boo Radley; it is a concept the entire town must embrace. When Atticus pleads the case of a black man who was falsely accused because of his skin color, rather than his actions or character, he admonishes the whole town – and me as the reader − to put aside preconceived notions about others by getting to know them first (a timeless lesson no matter what society you like in).

A couple of characters’ lives in Lee’s novel both reflect and digress from my own.  Scout’s curiosity reflects mine, as we both search for new ways to look at situations and are often ridiculed for being too inquisitive. However, her assertiveness far exceeds my own. Boo Radley is often prejudged and misunderstood, as am I, but we are both liked once people get to know us. Unlike Boo, I do not live a life of obscurity and have social graces. These are just a few comparisons/contrasts to note.