What lessons can be learned from To Kill a Mockingbird?

It's probably best to start with two of Harper Lee's most
enduring statements, both coming as advice given by Atticus Finch to his children. One
is that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Atticus gives this advice after Jem and
Scout receive air rifles for Christmas, and Miss Maudie explains that the mockingbird is
an innocent creature meant only to "make music for us to enjoy." The quote is symbolic
for several of the human characters who are punished unjustly during the novel, most
notably Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. The innocent mockingbird is evoked throughout the
novel, especially when death appears imminent.

Another of
Atticus' famous quotes comes when he explains to Scout
that

"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."

It stresses the
importance of tolerance toward others, the evils of prejudice, and how things don't
always appear to be as they seem--three of the most important themes in To
Kill a Mockingbird.

Other lessons to be learned
from the novel include the different types of courage--both physical and mental--that
people can display. Loss of innocence and how childhood events affect one's later years
is shown by Scout in her adult reminiscences of the important events during the novel's
two-plus years.