Atticus Finch Essay

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents Atticus Finch as a principled lawyer, committed but single father to Scout and Jem, and a law-abiding citizen. Atticus is a respectable gentleman in society and a role model for his children. Throughout the book we see evidence of his honorable intentions, though he doesn’t seem to reap the rewards. He is morally upstanding, even-keeled, and daring. Because of these things, Atticus is a man who deserves great respect and admiration.

True role models are those who possess the qualities that we would want to have in the near future and those who interest us in a way that make us want to be a better person. They teach us more about ourselves and encourage us to make better choices. A role model is not just someone who is successful, but someone who has had similar experiences that we have had. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates that Atticus Finch is a true role model. Over the course of the novel, Atticus stands up for his beliefs, respects everyone despite who they are and behaves as a true father. Atticus is truly the ideal role model.

Atticus is fair in many ways. From being fair to his children to being fair during a court case. In the Tom Robinson case Atticus knows that Tom is innocent, however, he also knows that the court will prove him guilty. Even though Tom is African-American, Atticus still fights his hardest to win the case and is thorough in his questioning methods. He stands for justice in a racist community. This leads to the next point. Atticus is not racist in any way, shape, or form. He thinks that everyone is equal and just because someone is a different skin color does not mean that they should be treated like garbage. Another example of Atticus being honorable is through his bravery.

A third reason he can be considered moral is he does not judge others by their outward appearances. At one point in the story Atticus states that, “‘You aren’t a really a nigger-lover, then, are you?’ ‘I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody” (Lee 144). This shows that he is moral because he states that he loves all people and does not discriminate against others based on their skin tone or how they look. Atticus also proves that he loves everybody by taking Tom’s case and risking his high status in town. Atticus can also be described as caring. The first reason Atticus can be considered as caring is because he has Jem read to Mrs. Dubose. This shows he is caring because Atticus knows she was sick and dying, and Atticus wanted her to enjoy what little time she had on Earth. So he had Jem read to her to help take her mind off of her suffering. Now this all proves that Atticus is caring because he was thinking of Mrs. Dubose and was hoping to ease her suffering by having Jem read to her to help her get her mind off of her suffering. Atticus can also be considered caring because he sits outside of Tom’s jail cell to keep safe even though he was

For example when Atticus is speaking to Scout, “‘They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions,’ said Atticus, ‘but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.’” (54-55). THis shows how Atticus teaches his kids what is right for everybody no matter what their skin color

Evidence for this is when Scout asks Atticus why he is defending a Negro. Atticus says, “If I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head in town” (Lee, 75). By defending a Tom Robinson, Atticus is making a statement about how he cares about equality. Atticus steps up to defend a Negro because he knew no one else would. Atticus knows that he will get a lot of hate for standing up for Tom Robinson since most of Maycomb is racist, but he does not care because he knows that Tom Robinson is a person too that deserves equal rights. Atticus is also very wise. In this scene, Atticus talks to Scout about the importance of kindness. Atticus tells her, “You never really understand a person until you climb in his skin and walk around in it” (Lee, 30). It is an extremely smart idea to want to look at others’ situations from their point of view. If one person looks at another’s problem their perspective, they can get a better understanding of why they act the way the do. Finally, Atticus is very selfless. Evidence for this is when Atticus talks to Jem after the trial. He says, “See if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility” (Lee, 221). The fact that Atticus can still have sympathy for Bob Ewell after all he did to him shows how selfless Atticus is. Atticus cares about how others feel more than himself. He does not care if he feels sorrowful about something, he only worries

As said by Robert Green Ingersoll, “Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.” Atticus represents this quote perfectly in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. By treating others like he would treat himself, even if they may not deserve that kind of treatment. Atticus Finch use himself as an example of tolerance through the life lessons he teaches his children, being able to see through people and most prominent, standing up for racism.

Throughout the novel, Atticus displays that he is very well-mannered and civil. Atticus does his best to display politeness and respect to all, regardless of whom they are. He is very understanding, and tries to pass this skill onto his children. “‘You never really understand a person until you consider

When you think of the greatest literary hero of all time you may think of Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, or even Luke Skywalker. However, a literary hero that makes many top lists is Atticus Finch, from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is told from the perspective of Scout Finch, the young daughter of Atticus Finch. Scout tells the story of a few years in her life, including an influential trial. In this trial, Atticus is the lawyer for a black man, Tom Robinson, that was accused of raping and beating a white woman. Atticus is very good at his job and is able to put himself in the position of the other characters. That is also known as empathy. Atticus’s fame as one of the greatest literary heros could be not only attributed to his outstanding performance as Tom’s lawyer, but also to his ability to feel, teach, and make the readers feel empathy.

Courage The novel To Kill A Mockingbird has many courageous characters and is based around courage strongly. Yet courage is a hard thing to understand, it’s difficult for one to show another how to be courageous yet let alone, to be courageous. Atticus Finch, The father of Jem and Scout Finch, is a courageous person. Atticus believes in himself and others, He tries his hardest to show his children what it is to have courage, and does a good job at it.

Atticus also strives to be as little as a hypocrite as possible, because he wants to set an example for his kids. One example of this is when he accepts the case of Tom Robinson, a black male that was supposedly accused as a rapist. Immediately before he begins the case he’s aware that he’s going to lose the case, but that still doesn’t stop Atticus from expertly defending Tom Robinson as an innocent man. Yet the way he did it shows that he has a courteous and fair attitude towards everybody, especially with his kids, as Miss Maudie states that “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.”. By politely proving that Bob Ewell is a liar; and respectfully questioning Mayella about her role in Tom’s crisis despite their social status in the community, in contrast to Horace Gilmer, who was racist to Tom Robinson from the very start.

He would not judge your social status, race, or even gender. Atticus was requested to take Tom Robinson’s case. He took the case with no questions ask. Atticus knew the risks of taking this case, but he wanted to get justice for a wrongfully accused innocent man. Except throughout this experience there would come hardships. He and his family would be ridiculed; many people would talk/whisper behind their backs, others would say something to their face, or be threatened. However, Atticus would not let their words affect him, he would keep his head held up high. Atticus would use his words, not violence to justify himself. He taught his kids not to let someone else’s opinion get to them, but to be strong and stand up for themselves, in a mannered

Discussing The Morality Of Atticus Finch Atticus Finch is a character whose actions and words are driven by his great morals. The morals of Atticus Finch were not just to add beauty to the novel however his morals taught the millions of readers across the world valuable lessons that enriched their lives and minds. In Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird, morality was one of the many topics that forced the readers to learn something and to fall in love with this novel. Atticus Finch is a man who lives by his own moral code since that he values respect, love, and empathy between humans, he stands by and even fights for what he believes in, and he forgives and does not harm the people who hurt him.

We all strive to be the person that always does the right thing, never gossips, and is kind to everybody. Though there never seems to be a person in this world who is actually this ideal. Atticus Finch is a character that represents who we all want to be and should be. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an iconic novel that displays the social tensions of the South during the 1930’s. Atticus Finch is one of the characters that push against these societal issues with kindness and acceptance. He is a lawyer and the father of two curious children who throughout the book learn many things from him. His moral lessons strongly affect the kids’ perspective of life, especially when he is given a very controversial trial defending a black man (Tom Robinson). This causes the town of Maycomb county to not only shame Atticus but his children as well. He pours his heart into the trial and despite the fact that he loses, he essentially proves Tom innocent. He always does what is right and kind, not what is expected or socially acceptable. Although Atticus has many characteristics, honorability and progressiveness are his strongest seen throughout the book.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb in his skin and take a walk in it.” Is a quote said by Atticus in the book. This is especially significant because he is constantly advocating for equality and people's rights therefore when he said this, it served to represent every time he has done so. Part of what is so endearing about Atticus is that he does not care if someone likes him or not, he treats everyone respectfully and fairly regardless of their views on him. Ill-mannerism towards atticus is occurs regularly throughout the book and he