The first example of Atticus' maxim in To Kill a Mockingbird occurs after Scout's disastrous first day at school. She has been reprimanded by her inexperienced first-grade teacher, Miss Caroline, for having been taught incorrectly how to read and, later, had her hand spanked for defending Walter Cunningham Jr. When Scout told Atticus about the day's events and begged him not to make her go back to school, Atticus explained that she needed to "learn a simple trick."
"Scout, you'll learn to get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--"
"Sir?"
"--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
Atticus further explained that people could not expect Miss Caroline to learn the ways of Maycomb life in one short day. The rest of the school year was "no more auspicious than the first," but Scout apparently learned to accept Miss Caroline's ways, and no other problems with her are mentioned.
No comments:
Post a Comment