Tsai 1

Daniel Tsai

O’Meara

Advanced Freshman English Pd.4

22 March 2019

Understanding Inspires Rationality

Socrates once stated “The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms”

(Hollingsworth). The famous philosopher thought that in order to make wise choices, one must

first have a firm understanding of a situation. Socrates’s philosophy can be seen in To Kill A

Mockingbird, by Harper Lee through the actions of Atticus Finch. Throughout the novel, he

seeks to comprehend the motives behind different characters in order to best deal with them. The

book depicts the early years of a girl named Scout Finch, and her brother, Jem as they transition

from innocent, naive children to more mature young adults. At first, the siblings and their new

friend Dill, dramatize their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. The book progresses to the court

case where Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, defends an African American man, Tom, who was

charged with rape by the Ewell family. Although Atticus does his best to defend him, the racist

jury found Tom guilty of the alleged rape. The theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is understanding

inspires rationality, which is revealed through the characterization of Atticus and the symbolism

of the camellias used in the story.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the characterization of Atticus helps to reveal the theme of

understanding inspires rationality. Atticus helps Scout to comprehend that everyone has their

own opinion and methods after she complains about her day at school with Ms. Caroline. He

explains that Ms. Caroline recently moved to Maycomb, so Scout should recognize that her
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teacher would need time to adjust to the town’s ways. Atticus states “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” (39). The phrase “consider things from his point of view” displays

how Atticus always looks at both sides of a problem before making a decision because he tries to

see the dilemma through the other person’s eyes. He can look at different situations with an

impartial view, no matter how close he is to the people in it. The phrase exhibits the way Atticus

values the idea of fairness because he believes in attempting to understand all opinions in order

to make rational decisions. Atticus treated all people with the same respect in a time and place

where so many were blinded by racism and prejudice. Atticus’s value of fairness is demonstrated

by the way he teaches Scout to always look at problems, not only her point of view, but through

the point of view of other people. By utilizing the principle of empathy, Atticus can objectively

understand the point of view of others, which allows him to make calm and collected decisions.

Atticus’ principle of empathy and value of fairness contributes to the theme of understanding

inspires rationality because he attempts to understand people in order to find the motives behind

their actions. Once he has understood their reasoning, Atticus can think rationally and make wise

decisions that best fits the situation. The theme is further proven when Miss Maudie speaks to

Scout about Atticus. Scout starts to feel lonely after not being allowed to play with Jem and Dill,

so she seeks company in her neighbor, Miss Maudie. The two begin to speak about Boo Radley,

which leads Maudie to say some people act differently inside of their homes. Thinking that

Maudie was referring to Atticus, Scout jumps to her father’s defence, prompting Maudie to reply,

“Gracious child, I was raveling a thread, wasn’t even thinking about your father, but now that I

am I’ll say this: Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets”(61). The
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phrase “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” displays that Atticus

does not change his personality in order to portray a certain image. The phrase adds to his value

of fairness by showing that no matter the person or the setting, Atticus will treat everyone with

the same civility. Atticus always treats people with consideration, which demonstrates his

principle of respect. Atticus does not change how he acts because he has the same manners

everywhere. His unchanging personality allows him to make rational decisions in any situation

by staying calm. Atticus understands his own personality, which allows him to choose the best

solutions or choices whenever he is faced with a problem. The principle of respect contributes to

theme because in order to respect a person or idea, one must first understand their thinking. The

theme of understanding inspires rationality continues to be justified by the encounter between

Bob Ewell and Atticus. Bob had been resentful toward Atticus for making him look like a fool in

the courthouse and taking away the last shred of credibility he had. He blamed Atticus for all his

misfortunes, and one day he confronted Atticus, “According to Miss Stephanie Crawford,

however, Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat

on him, and threatened to kill him… Atticus didn’t bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and

stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names”(291). The phrase “Atticus didn’t bat an eye, just

took out his handkerchief and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names” suggest that Atticus

can have self-control and remain level-headed in the most intense circumstances because he was

able to see the situation through Bob’s point of view. He understood Bob’s motive to threaten

him; Bob was angry because his life was ruined and he blamed Atticus for everything. The

phrase displays how Atticus values staying calm and understanding the other person’s point of

view in order to explain their actions. Atticus was not angry at Bob for his behavior because he
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understood the reasons why he did it. Later in the chapter, Atticus explains to Jem that if Bob did

not take his anger out on him, he would have taken it out on Mayella or one of his other kids. He

continued by stating that he would rather endure one confrontation if it meant sparing the kids

from a beating. Atticus displays the principle of open mindedness because he understood that

Bob had to release his anger and he would rather he be the one Bob directed it at. Atticus’s value

of remaining calm contributes to the theme because it allows him to think rationally in extreme

situations. He comprehends the point of view of the other person, which allows him to stay

collected. Instead of acting impulsively, Atticus and sought to understand other the other

person’s perspective, then used rational thinking to make logical decisions.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, the symbolic meaning of the camellia is peace, which

contributes to the theme that understanding inspires rationality. The camellias were first

introduced when describing Jem and Scout’s neighbor Mrs. Lafayette Dubose. Mrs. Dubose was

an ill-tempered lady that criticized Jem and Scout, and she expressed hateful comments toward

Atticus. One day Jem became filled with anger and took Scout’s recently purchased baton and

destroyed all of Mrs. Dubose’s camellias. As punishment, Jem was forced to read to his elderly

neighbor for several weeks. Soon after he stops reading, Mrs.Dubose passes away and Jem is

given a box with a camellia in it. Jem’s initial reaction is displayed in the quote, “Jem opened the

box. Inside, surrounded by wads of damp cotton, was a white, waxy perfect camellia. It was a

snow-on-the-mountain. Jem’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. ‘Old hell-devil, old

hell-devil… Why can’t she leave me alone ” (148). The camellia mentioned in the quote is a type

of flower, and flowers usually symbolize beauty or rebirth. However, in the case of the camellia,

the flower represents peace because Mrs. Dubose left Jem the “white, waxy perfect camellia”
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after she died, even though the two had a hateful relationship. Jem impulsively destroyed her

flowers because she called Atticus awful names. She may have left him the perfect white flower

as a message that meant there was no longer any hatred or anger between them. Jem did not

understand the circumstances she was in, which is why he was so reactive. Had Jem known the

pain Mrs. Dubose was going through, he would not have destroyed her flowers. It is necessary to

recognize the full picture in order to make rational decisions. Jem initially thought the camellias

were a sign that Mrs. Dubose would torment him, even after her death. Following this, Atticus

explains how Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict, but for the last few months of her life, she

wanted to be free of her addiction. Jem learns that she was actually a brave lady who had fits

from her withdrawals. Jem began to appreciate the gift more displayed in the quote, “Jem picked

up the candy box and threw it in the fire. He picked up the camellia, and when I went off to bed I

saw him fingering the wide pedals”(149). At first only hatred existed between the two, but with

more knowledge on her condition, Jem found a new respect for her. The phrase “fingering the

wide pedals” exhibits the way Jem acknowledged the flower as a gift from a brave lady after he

finally saw the whole picture. Mrs. Dubose most likely knew that Jem did not yet realize her

situation, which is the reason she left the perfect flower for him. As an object that was first

destroyed out of anger, the camellias come back as a symbol of peace because there was

knowledge gained in between. After understanding that she was having fits from her fighting a

morphine addiction, Jem was able to think rationally and appreciate the peace offering more. In

order to be able to make the best decisions, one must first comprehend the situation.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, the theme of understanding inspires rationality is unveiled by

the symbolic meaning of the camellias and the characterization of Atticus. The camellias
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symbolize a peace between Mrs. Dubose and Jem. However, Jem is only able to appreciate the

gift after gaining knowledge on his neighbor’s condition. Atticus’s principles of respect, open

mindedness and empathy aid him in understanding any situation. He perfectly embodies

Socrates’s philosophy as he seeks to comprehend before judging or acting irrationally. Without

fully understanding a case, one can not properly deal with it.
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Works Cited

Hollingsworth, Alan. “‘The Beginning of Wisdom Is the Definition of Terms’ - Socrates.” Breast

Journal, vol. 21, no. 2, Mar. 2015, pp. 119–120. Academic Search Premier. Accessed 21

March 2019.

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Grand Central Publishing, 1960.