Literary Education and Cultivating Compassion: To Kill a Mockingbird

Abstract

This article is an attempt to examine the value of To Kill a Mockingbird as a textbook for cultivating compassion. In the U.S., many must-read lists and reading programs chose To Kill a Mockingbird as the one book to read. The article investigated why this book is appropriate as a teaching material for cultivating compassion among students. For this, the characters’ criticisms of the dual standards of Christians in Maycomb and their efforts to preserve individual conscience and courage were considered. Also, the theme of tolerance which Atticus Finch emphasized was speculated. Reading literature forms a new semantic space created by reader’s active interpretation while understanding a book. The active creation of meaning of the reader in the course of reading deepens readers’ understanding of life of other people. This is why literary education is important for fostering compassion in students. Furthermore, the book’s emphasis on “Thinking from the Other’s Point of View” makes it a valuable text for cultivating compassion.