To Kill A Mockingbird Human Nature

Are people innately good or evil? Some people believe that people only serve their own interest and do not go out of their way to help others. It can also be argued that people are good and want to improve the rest of the world. Others believe that people are blank slates and develop their morality through their experiences. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the characters are represented as being both good and evil. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates different views on human nature through characters’ actions and beliefs; these characters can be compared to the philosophies of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. As Scout, Jem, and Dill experience events, they develop their morality; this reinforces John

First, Mayella Ewell can be viewed as compassionate as well as a liar. Mayella accuses Tom of raping and beating her when it was probably her father Bob Ewell who did it (Lee 203-213). During the trial, Tom Robinson says he felt sorry for Mayella since none of the other children would help her do the chores (Lee 224). Mayella was the one who would take care of the family, but she also lied about who hurt her. Second, Jem ruins Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes, but he also makes up for it. Scout says, “[Jem] did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned, until the ground was littered with green buds and leaves” (Lee 118). After this incident, Jem went to Mrs. Dubose’s house every day after school and on Saturdays to read to her for a month (Lee 121). Even though Jem destroyed Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes, he righted his wrong by going to her house and reading to her. Third, Boo Radley was a part of the wrong crowd, but he was also kind to Jem and Scout. Scout says, “… when [Boo] Radley was in his teens he became acquainted with some of the Cunninghams from Old Sarum … and they formed the nearest thing to a gang ever seen in Maycomb. They did little, but enough to be discussed by the town and publicly warned from three pulpits” (Lee 10). Even though Boo is thought of as the town outcast, he gives Jem and Scout gifts like gum and dolls through the hole in the tree in his yard (Lee 67-71). Boo Radley was a rebellious teenager, but when he got older he was affectionate towards the children. The duality of human nature is expressed in the novel, To Kill a