Atticus Finch Moral Development Essay

As people grow in life, they mature and change. In the novel , To Kill a Mockingbird ,by Harper Lee, Scout, the main character, matures as the book continues. Slowly but surely, Scout learns to control her explosive temper, to refrain from fistfights, and to respect Calpurnia, their maid, and to really learn her value to the family. Scout simply changes because she matures, and she also changes because Atticus, her father, asks her to.

As scout is getting older she is learning more about what the town is like. She becomes aware of the things she’s done and the effects it has had on her and others around. This quote on page 278 shows her understanding starting to change.

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.

  Early in the novel, Scout illustrates the courage she embodies.  On her first day of school, Scout acts as an ambassador for the entire class.  She takes the duty of informing Miss Caroline of Walter Cunningham's situation.  Miss Caroline had just scolded Scout for her ability to read, however, Scout still feels the classes' need for leadership.  Most children at her age would fear speaking

Atticus is a firm believer in equal rights and to show this he did his best to treat everyone fairly. He has noticed the racism going on in the town and he is not okay with this, to show this, Atticus teaches his kids that racism is unfair and unreasonable “ “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday

To sum it up, Scout change in various different ways throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird. She became more aware of her surroundings, she changed her views on a once hidden and mysterious figure that the entire town was afraid of, and she developed morally as shown in Kohlberg's moral development chart. Bo Bennett once said, “Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with

Another character in the book that the Mockingbird represents is Atticus Finch. Atticus is the father of the main character, Scout Finch. Atticus is the man that decides he would risk his entire reputation to defend Tom Robinson. Atticus knows that he would not be able to win the trial, but he is so kind-hearted that he goes on to defend this trial. On page 194, Lee writes “‘You’ve got everything to lose from this, Atticus.

Scout hung out with friends/people her own age. She mostly hangs out with people older than her. This is the first step of Scout becoming independent. She doesn't always need Jem around. Since she’s going to start hanging out with other people than her brother she will learn to protect herself and learn from life on her own. She will have more people she can rely on and come to when she needs help or feeling

In the past century, there have been many great novels written. One of which is Harper Lee's, 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. In the novel it introduces a prominent character who not only was a good father but also a well respected, and compassionate man. This person is Atticus Finch. Through all the struggles and pressures, he stands strong as a very positive father figure, making sure to educate his children with important values including equality, bravery, and knowledge.

Atticus is the town’s most respected lawyer. He is not wealthy, but he is well off in the community and is very kind towards everyone. As a single parent, he faces the world, raising his two children with his maid, Calpurnia, who experiences better conditions and responsibilities than other African Americans of her time, due to Atticus’ beliefs. He has a reputation for being an open-minded, fair man, and a unique personality that is overflowing with honesty. He has been assigned a case of defending a black man who is apparently accused of rape. Now Atticus is both loved and unloved by the townspeople. Since they live in the South during the 1930’s, Atticus gives a lot of advice to his children, Scout and Jem. Atticus tells Scout and Jem that they should not say anything about a person especially when they do not know that person. Atticus describes what he means in a quote “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around it”(Lee 39). Atticus defends a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a girl. Atticus has the confidence and the courage to defend Tom and prove that he is innocent. Scout does not believe that her father is nice enough or has the courage to defend Tom. Atticus proves that

her head and she finally realizes the person she is. Scout has to learn to grow up and take risk to speak

Scout: Life Lessons for a Seven-Year-Old Throughout Harper Lee's infamous book, To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist Scout goes through treacherous mental and physical changes. Life lessons, to be exact. The book touches on difficult-to-write topics like poverty, classism, racism, and sexism. As expected from a seven-year-old girl, Scout is oblivious to the world as it is to her. Her privilege, wealth, and social acceptance surrounded her in a barricade, seemingly "protecting" her from the harsh realities of aristocracy versus the masses.

Author, he’s asleep. You couldn’t if he was awake, he wouldn’t let you…’ I found myself explaining” (Lee 372). Scout talks to Boo as if she does everyday, this is because she does not want Boo to feel left out of alone anymore than he already does. Scout is a very outgoing person who can make anyone feel as though they belong even if that person does not think they do and we can see that here with her discussion with Boo. Succeeding this encounter, Boo makes the request for Scout to walk him home. Once they reach his house and he goes inside, Scout stands on the porch and views the world as he does. Replaying the events of the past summers through his eyes, Scout finally understands the ways of Boo’s world (Lee 374). This helps Scout mature by the reason of her interpreting his life. She now knows that Boo sees her life as an example, she has a loving family and a superior life which he wishes he could have. However, he knows that this is not a possibility.

The relationships established by Atticus Finch with his children, the Ewells, and the rest of the town, including the black community, are a large reason why he is known as the moral center, and why it seems all immoral conflict revolves around him. The reader sees it play out in the plainest terms with his children. He is their father, and they respect him as such, but their respect for him surpasses their paternal relationship with him, demonstrated by how they refer to him as Atticus instead of “Father”. We see him teach Scout how to read, and the amount of time he spends with his children, even though the majority of the novel takes place during an important court case in his career. Along the way, he teaches them lessons, like how it’s

You can tell she is more mature than her peers. She thinks and talks like she is on a different level than everyone else. She is stubborn and not afraid to voice her opinion which makes for some very funny parts in the book. On page 33, Scout says “Besides, I added, she’d already gotten me in trouble once today: she had taught me to write and it was all her fault.” This shows how Scout is way beyond the academic level of her peers. It also shows her stubborn and funny attitude.