In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of Scout and Jem, two young children who learn about racism and injustice in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s. The children's father, Atticus, is a lawyer who is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man unjustly accused of rape. It is through this trial, as well as through other characters, that the children learn about the injustices of …showed first 75 words of 822 total…

…showed last 75 words of 822 total…harm. Nevertheless, they are both punished. Jem understands this because he feels compassion for the insect as well as compassion for Tom. As Arthur, Mayella and Tom's situations show, having compassion is a necessity when dealing with others. Through compassion we understand from a different perspective what someone experiences. It is through this perspective that we rise above our differences and accept what is truly there. Without compassion, discrimination, injustice and rivalry will surely prevail.