According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings of another without having the experiences fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner. Empathy is conducted internally; it is a mindset. When empathy is combined with action, the power of our convictions can be used to effect change around us. Atticus Finch, in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, does this in excess. Atticus has so much empathy for others that it actually clouds his judgement. Excessive empathy leads Atticus to make excuses for other’s behaviors, and to justify their wrongdoings. Atticus also lacks confidence to stand up for what and who …show more content…
As a lawyer, Atticus has a duty to ensure everyone who enters the court is treated in a equal and just way. Atticus not only expresses the opposite, but introduces more prejudice into the courtroom. Atticus does not call out the blatant racism and prejudice that surrounds him, and so shows himself to be a product of his time. Atticus also shows this flaw in his professional life. Atticus believes that Tom Robinson is innocent and a good person, but he is too afraid of social repercussions to challenge the views of the white men of the jury. Instead, he encourages the jury to swap their racist views with sexist and class views. During the conclusion of Atticus’ defense, he tells the jury, “She [Mayella] has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. She is a victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her; she is white.”(271-2) Atticus’ diction is critical, in that it shows his harsh opinions of Mayella. Words like ‘rigid’, ‘severe’, and ‘hounded’, all contribute to his overwhelming accusations of Mayella. Atticus is trying to obstruct the jury’s views of Tom by highlighting the faults of Mayella. This quotation supports Gladwell's …show more content…
Atticus chooses to dismiss the fact that people are racist and immoral. One day during school, Scout learns about Hitler. After class, Scout decides to go home and talk to Atticus about what she was taught. Upon learning of the despicable and abhorrent actions of Hitler, she asks her father, “But it’s ok to hate Hitler?”, a simple question which usually would be responded with an immediate yes. However, Atticus replies, “‘It is not’ .. ‘It is not ok to hate anybody’” (330). Atticus makes excuses for people who act in unjust ways, instead of calling them out. Throughout the novel Atticus mentions that people simply have ‘blind spots’. However, this is a gross understatement and an excuse for people's behaviors. Blind spots are aspects of your personality that you cannot change and being racist is not an example of this. No one is born a racist. One is born into a family that may encourage you to conform to their beliefs and their ideals. However, ultimately in life, it is our decision. Atticus is too stuck in the fabric of Maycomb and the fact that he has been a respected member of that community for many years. He is not someone who is willing to stand up publicly and speak his mind. Atticus makes it seem that nobody