Topic > Judging Others: A Theme in To Kill a... by Harper Lee

Often in life people judge others, but their view changes as they get to know the person. In to kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee Jem and Scout prejudice Boo Radley and their father Atticus. Jem and Scout believe their father has absolutely no abilities. Over the course of the book children see more of his abilities. Boo Radley is considered a monster in Maycomb, and Scout and Jem use the town's judgment as if it were their own. After learning more about Boo and getting to know him, they realize he's the opposite of what they thought. Because Jem and Scout are influenced by the opinions of others, they are able to learn from their mistakes and develop a new perspective on people. At the beginning of the novel Jem and Scout believe Boo is a ghost until they see the real thing. Everyone in Maycomb has a negative opinion of Boo, at first Jem and Scout accept it. If they ever passed his house, they would run past it and then one day they noticed some toys in a hole. A monster would never leave toys for children, clearly the children had judged it wrong. Even when Jem, Scout and Dill were at...