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Atticus Finch Character Analysis Essay

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n the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch seems to be the only adult that was not corrupted by the racism and inequality of his time. He is respected by the rich and poor because of his kindness, intelligence, and patience, although he loses some of this respect after trying to battle the racial inequality of his town. He tries to teach his children the good values he has, What goes on in Atticus’s Mind Although Atticus did not attend school, he is still one of the smartest people in Maycomb. Throughout Tom Robinson’s case, he was able to point out many inconsistencies in the Ewell’s story, such as when Scout realized that “Atticus was trying to show [..] that Mr. Ewell could have beaten up Mayella. If her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left-handed person did it” (Lee 178). One could determine that most people would not realize this, and it would take a person that thinks a different way than many people to do so. Atticus think differently about raising his children as well. When Uncle Jack is discussing Scout’s recent behaviour with him, he scolds Atticus for his techniques, saying that “[Atticus had] never laid a hand on her,” to which Atticus replied, “I admit that. So far I’ve been able to get by with threats. Jack, she minds me as well as she can. Doesn’t come up to scratch half the time, but she tries” (88). In that time period, most parents would have hit their children without any doubt it was the correct thing to do, but Atticus just wanted to raise his kids so they would grow up with good values. He realizes that they try their best, but understands that they are children and will make mistakes. Although Jem and Scout behave well in result of his parenting, his methods are still questioned, especially by his sister Alexandra.When she comes to live with them, she tells Scout it is because they “decided that it would be best for [her] to have some feminine influence” (127), but it becomes clear that the real reason is because she believes Atticus is raising his children wrong and needs assistance. Throughout the novel, it is apparent that Atticus questions if he is raising his children correctly, and

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