Atticus Finch In To Kill A Mockingbird

After Scout confronts Atticus about “defending negros”, Atticus replies on how this decision is for his own dignity: “‘For a number of reasons’, said Atticus. ‘The main one is, if I didn’t, I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.’” (123; ch.9). Out of the lots of prejudice in Maycomb County, Atticus is one that looks passed race and gender. He holds equal respect for those who abide by the laws of being human. Not much of population consist of people like Atticus, who is not just fighting for Tom for the sake of the town, but for his own virtue. It takes a lot of integrity to stand up for what is right during that time and that is exactly what Atticus is making an effort to do.

In the novel, Atticus is seen as a nonjudgmental person that treats everyone alike and that is the reason everybody in Maycomb likes him. Additionally, Atticus is a strong believer in justice and complying with the law. During the novel, Scout asks Atticus if he is “really a nigger-lover” (Lee, 112) and Atticus replies “I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody…” (Lee, 112). Also, “while Walter piled food onto his plate, he and Atticus talked together like two men…” (Lee, 24) To explain, Atticus talks to Walter, a poor farmer boy, as if he was a regular person. Just as the children are trying to give Boo Radley, Atticus catches them and commands them to “stop tormenting that man.”(Lee, 50) To clarify, Atticus orders them to stop because he realizes it is morally wrong to mock the Radley family or any other family which shows that Atticus believes in treating everyone equally and that everyone should have justice.

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.

Atticus’ fairness also shows he is a good father because he believes that everyone deserves a chance to be understood and all have reasons for their actions. For example, after revealing the news to Jem and Scout of Tom’s death, he says, “Depends on how you look at it. What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He wasn’t Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner” (Lee 235). This passage shows Atticus's fairness because he always tries to put himself in other people’s shoes in order to give everyone a chance at being understood, as he teaches Jem and Scout to do. He gave up his respectable reputation among many of the whites in Maycomb to defend Tom Robinson, and still speaks highly of the men who killed him. When he says this, he is trying to make the children see that the men who killed Tom did not know him as a person, but as a Negro who committed a crime, so cannot be discriminated upon for doing their job. Along with Atticus’ sense of fairness, his Teaching also characterizes him as a good father to Jem and Scout.

One of the most interesting characters in To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus Finch. He is a good representation of someone that is strong while keeping in mind other’s feelings. Throughout the book Atticus is show as a kind man who really cares for the people of Maycomb County. However, he still demands justice when someone is treated unfairly, even for the likes of a black man. Atticus Finch is very influential and yet still listens to what needs to be heard. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee portrays Atticus as a man who values justice, wiseness and fair-mindedness.

Atticus Finch is a man of principles who is consistent in his views and deeds throughout the novel. Although he is criticized and mocked by many characters in the novel for his tolerant attitude towards the ‘Negros’, people of Maycomb still respect him and keep re-electing him to be their representative in the State Legislator. According to Miss Maudie Atkinson words to Scout, Atticus is a man who does for other people the unpleasant things they have to do. He is a defender of justice and he fights for it even if he is sure that he will be beaten at the end. He also tries throughout the novel to pass these values onto his children.

Atticus is just and mercy that he always helps other townspeople. First, according to page 61 of the novel, “Atticus don’t ever do anything to Jem and me in the house that he don’t do in the yard.” This shows Atticus is just that he won’t do anything that is against his conscience. Second, “Atticus had urged them accept the state’s generosity in allowing them to plead Guilty to second-degree murder and escape with their lives, but they were Haverfords, in Maycomb County a name synonymous with jackass” (Page 5).

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird perfectly depicts a town succumbed to the racism that existed in the deep south during the time. Lee shows how there are good-hearted people who want change, but there are also ignorant people who will try to do anything to go against it. Some residents of Maycomb hope to push for a change because they understand the way people do things is wrong. Tom Robinson is a man who represents the change people want to pursue due to his false conviction; yet, some people are too scared to be the change, so they hide behind fake problems. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a perfect representation of those who want change but instead flock and hide since he says “[secretly], Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker” (Lee 170). This

Atticus is trying to make everyone equal no matter who they are or where they come from. He feels everyone should be treated the same and this is why Atticus feels compelled to take this case. However, Atticus does not see the big deal when he defends a black man. Everyone else does because Atticus is a white lawyer and he is helping a black defendant. He states, “I'm simply defending a negro”. (100) Atticus wants equality for colored men. He stated, “cheatin a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin a white man”. (269) This shows how Atticus tries to make the jury see past color and take step towards equality. He is also try to show that everyone should be treated

Atticus Finch is a man of high moral standing. Throughout the book Atticus is threatened, mocked, and verbally abused, yet he doesn't give the reactions that you would expect from a “Southern man” from Alabama. At one point his life was even threatened by a man named Bob Ewell. Mr. Ewell spat in his face and told him that he would”get” Atticus. Instead of Atticus getting angry and retaliating, he just wipes off his face and walks away, Another time Atticus show good morals is when he tond Calpurnia to tell the black community not to bring him anything else and that times were too tough. This shows he wasn’t representing Tom Robinson for respect or attention, rather he was doing it

Atticus preached the wisdom of sympathy and understanding to Jem and Scout and never holds grudges against anyone in Maycomb. Atticus was older than many other fathers, which embarrassed Jem and Scout, but Atticus’s wise parenting quotes, “Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I’ve tried to live so I can look squarely back at him,” which ultimately wins their respect for him. Another respectable thing he taught his children was how to be literate. He recognizes the importance of teaching Jem and Scout how to respect others and learn about courage. An important example, when Mr. Dubose was dying, he made Jem go read to her, which leads up to a crucial lesson about strength and courage by stating “I wanted you to see what real courage is…it’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through, no matter what.” The most important aspect in the major themes in To Kill a Mockingbird, was that he didn’t just tell his children things he wanted them to consider important, he actually lives according to such lessons. For example, even though he knows he will not win the case and is “licked” he goes ahead and pursues it anyway. As a father his most important role seems to be as a guidance above all else and his children, much like the rest of the community respect him

He would lecture his children whenever they had disorderly actions. The biggest reason why Atticus is respectful is because he treated the black people of Maycomb just like anyone else that encounters him. He stated many times in the trial against Tom Robinson that people deserve to be treated equally. Atticus said, "Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal" (273). That quote acknowledges the main reason why he thinks people should be respectful, just like him.

Many people don't possess intelligence or fairness or aren't even low key. But readers of the fictional novel called To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee know that Atticus Finch has all of these characteristics. Atticus played a big role in the novel. He was very tolerant. This taught Scout and Jem Finch to also be tolerant. In the novel, Scout learns to be patient with people and see things through their point of view. She also learns that all people aren't good. She comes of age while her father defends a black man named Tom Robinson. He was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of Bob Ewell. Although everyone was very upset about the case, Atticus stayed low key and calm. Atticus Finch is a low key, fair, and intelligent man.

Tom Robinson was a black man, who was allegedly accused of rape based off of very bad evidence. Despite the bad evidence, he was still convicted. From this case the reader could see how bad the prejudice was in Maycomb towards black people, but it didn’t stop there. Not only was Tom Robinson treated unfairly, but as well Atticus, the lawyer who decided to defend him. Atticus was verbally assaulted daily in the town, due to his decision of defending a black

First, Atticus Finch is a genuine, moral literary character because he knows that you must understand a person and know them before you can judge them. "Scout," said Atticus, "when summer comes you'll have to keep your head about far worse things... it's not fair for you and Jem, I know that, but sometimes we have to make the best of things, and the way we conduct ourselves when the chips are down—well, all I can say is, when you and Jem are grown, maybe you'll look back on this with some compassion and some feeling that I didn't let you down." (ch.11 pg.120) Atticus tries to explain to Scout the importance of understanding someone and getting to know the person before she does things. Atticus can take time to know a person, watching their actions, and seeing how they act. He then understands them and their position better than before, which can help him to better comprehend and