Tuesday, October 29, 2013

What is a quote from To Kill a Mockingbird that shows Scout benefited others?

Perhaps the best example of Scout benefiting others comes
at the end of To Kill a Mockingbird. After the attack by Bob Ewell
and his death at the hands of Boo Radley, Sheriff Tate has a decision to make: Should he
tell the truth and begin an investigation (which will implicate Boo and bring him into
the "limelight")? Or should he simply call Bob's death one of self-infliction? Tate
humanely chooses the second option, and Scout agrees with it. She tells Atticus that
investigating Boo would


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"... be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird,
wouldn't it?"



Scout then
escorts Boo back to his front porch, where she sees him safely inside. She takes a long
look over her neighborhood, pretending to see things throught Boo's eyes, standing in
his shoes. In doing so, she better understands Boo and his mysterious
conduct.


The other obvious example of Scout's benefit to
others comes when she intervenes between Atticus and the lynch mob at the jail. Things
look bad for Tom (and possibly Atticus) until her innocent conversation with Mr.
Cunningham humbles the men, who decide to abandon their murderous mission. Scout's
intervention saves Tom's life and keeps her father from taking a beating at the hands of
the men.

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