Arthur “Boo” Radley

At first, Scout believed that the mysterious Author “Boo” Radley was an insane man who snuck around at night and looked in people's windows, attacked his parents, and desperately wanted to get out of the house which he had been trapped in all of his life. As Scout grew older and wiser, and due to the influence of father, Atticus, and her brother, Jem, Scout realizes that Mr. Radley doesn't want to escape the house he has spent most of his life in and that he actually couldn't live any other lifestyle for he wouldn't know what to do out in a free world. At one point Scout puts herself in Boo Radley's position and find out how juvenile it had been for her to bother Boo the way that she did.

The Jury in Tom Robinson's shoes

Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. The jury, who failed to put themselves in Tom's shoes, convicted him to death even though the only person that should have been prosecuted for doing any damage to Mayella was Bob Ewell. All the evidence pointed to Tom having sexual relations with Mayella but never raping her. At the same time, other townsfolk expressed the ability to put themselves in Tom's shoes. Judge Taylor specifically appointed Atticus as Mr. Robinson's attorney. Mr. Taylor knew Atticus was the only person in Maycomb that stood a chance of actually providing a defense, which had a slight chance of persuading some of the jurors to argue that Tom Robinson was not guilty of rape. Ms. Maudie even told Jem that “…I thought, Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that.” (216).

The Mob in Atticus' position

Another example of how Harper Lee puts the characters into other people's shoes is when the mob came to kill Tom Robinson. At first, it looked like a violent scuffle was going to breakout, but Scout, not even realizing it, puts the mob in Atticus' position. They could never harm Atticus in front of his own children, especially when the children knew some of the people in the mob. The morning after the mob visited Atticus and threatened the life of Tom Robinson, Atticus described to Jem why no one attacked him that night. He said, “…a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children…you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute. That was enough.” (157).

Helen Robinson

Many people are put into Helen Robinson's shoes. After Tom's arrest many people rose to the occasion to help her and her children out. Helen couldn't get a job and with her husband in jail, no money was coming into the family. While visiting Calpurnia's church, Reverend Sykes had a collection for Helen. When the reverend didn't think there was enough money to get her through the week, he closed the doors of the church and said no one was leaving until Helen had enough money to support her family. Slowly but surely, money came in from the church goes and finally everyone was able to leave. Another example is when Link Deas stands up for Helen. First, since her husband died, he hired Helen. Although he didn't need her to work for him he felt it was the right thing to do. Mr. Deas also stands up for Helen. Bob Ewell started following her to work everyday and whispering profanities under his breath to her. When she told Link Deas he yelled at Mr. Ewell saying, “…stay away from my cook or I'll have you up for assault…You don't have to touch her, all you have to do is make her afraid, an' if assault ain't enough to keep you locked up awhile, I'll get you in on the Ladies' Law, so get outa my sight!” (249). From then on, Mr. Ewell never said another word to Mrs. Robinson.

Jem in Bob Ewell's Shoes

After the trial, Bob Ewell spits on Atticus and tells him he's going to get him back for defending Tom. Jem is scared that Bob Ewell is true to his word even though his father is not affected by it and believes that he will not follow through. He told Jem, “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does.” (218). Atticus says that Mr. Ewell did what he had to do and if it saved Mayella one beating, he would gladly take it.

Conclusion

Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, uses the motif of putting people in other character's shoes to gain further knowledge on the actions of the characters. This motif is clearly seen in many of the characters including Helen and Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell, Atticus and Scout, and many other people living in Maycomb County. Without this aspect of the story, it would be hard to understand the feelings of individuals and the people living in Maycomb.