Doing the Right Thing is the Best Choice in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

Atticus says that even though Tom is innocent, the all-white jury will find him guilty anyway because he is a black man. The people of Maycomb are livid that their best lawyer would defend a black man who “raped” a white woman. Up until now, Maycomb has been displayed as a happy little town, it’s been seen as nothing but positive. The racist and unflattering side of Maycomb has been exposed as they attack the Finches. Even some of the Finches’ family members disapproves of Atticus’s choice. The town believes that Atticus defending a black man puts the Finch name to shame. They believed that he shouldn’t have done what he

Atticus displays these characteristics of positive morals, dignity and fairness by defending rape accused Tom Robinson and trying to provide him with a credible defence against the wishes and social norms of the community, however Atticus Finch abided by the social norms of the community while livingin a racially segregated community, carrying on with his day to day life in such a community, while using “white only” parks and white only buses without directly challenging the racist legal system and Atticus Finch did not dispute the fact that Tom Robinson is tried before an all-white jury and that it was fairly reasonable to assume that they would convict him of rape as a predetermined outcome on the mere fact that he was a black man and she was a white

As Lemony Snicket wrote in The Blank Book, “People don’t always get what they deserve in this world.” 1930s America was fraught with racism, especially in the southern states. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a Negro man by the name of Tom Robinson was put on trial. Although he was not guilty, the jury convicted him because of the colour of his skin. During the trial, others showed injustice towards Tom and people that were on his side. As Tom’s lawyer, Atticus Finch was not admired by many of the white citizens of Maycomb, the town in which the novel takes place. Although Atticus and Jean Louise Finch (Scout) were white, they were still treated unjustly as a result of helping and supporting Tom Robinson. Scout, Atticus’

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird tells of a town in Alabama, called Maycomb. In this deeply-rooted racist town, there is a trial against an African American man, accused of raping a white woman. One man, however, Atticus Finch, has the opportunity to help the the man on trial. Although he knows he will lose the trial, he takes the case anyway. Atticus is respected in Maycomb, and known for his wisdom and experience. He is a good-hearted, egalitarian man who is always there and willing to provide guidance to his children and to the town of Maycomb, with his years of practice and experience.

Undoubtedly, one of the most controversial subjects in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, would be whether or not Atticus Finch should have defended Tom Robinson. However, in order to understand this controversy, a person must first be able to understand Atticus Finch himself. Atticus as a character is a very intellectual person who possesses the fortitude to stand up for whatever he believes is right and will not let other people’s choices affect his own. Furthermore, it is also important to understand that Atticus is not a racist, nor does he approve of the idea that one group of people are better than another based on their appearances in general, and because of this, a person can generalize that Atticus’s characteristic traits are why he did not complain when given the task of defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who had been wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. A man that he, as well as a small group of other people from town, viewed as the picture of innocence. In their eyes, Tom was no more than a mockingbird, “[and mockingbirds] don’t do one thing but make music for [people] to enjoy” (Lee 119). Knowing this, anyone with a reasonably strong sense of what is right and what is wrong can conclude that it does make sense for Atticus Finch to have taken the case due to his belief that it is a sin to kill the innocent as well as his courage that allows him to stay true to his ideas, even though when taking the case, he was inevitably going to be putting his

Morals, to some, are like a choice between good and evil. This is a choice that Scout, Jem, and Dill of Harper Lee’s coming of age novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, must make as they unearth the ideas that Martin Luther King later spread as a rallying cry throughout a nation. He proclaims that the “Arc of  the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” These characters ripen into heroic figures as they question the morals of those around them as well as the morals they were given throughout their childhood. Time and time again, Lee’s insight of how racism and classism drive people's morals have a profound effect the development of a heroic figure. Lee teaches the reader that some morals defy social normalities in order to reach

Doing what’s right and doing what you think is right based upon others opinions, are two different things. Growing up in a world where gossip dominates is a difficult world to understand. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee uses the elements of characterization, setting ,and conflict to convey the theme that although you're in a dangerous situation, doing what's right is always the best option; by doing what's right it shows the courageous action of an adult facing a conflict. Harper Lee first shows this in the characterizations of many of her characters.

“Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.” - George S. Patton. It is easy to do what everyone else is doing but it is difficult to be the one to stand out and do what you believe is right. Not everyone is capable of standing out of the crowd for the truth, many people find it much easier to conform rather than speak their opinion or the truth. It is much easier to blend in with the rest of the flock than lead the pack. There are two very important elements in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird to convey moral courage, setting and symbolism. Lee uses these two elements to show the reader that doing the right thing is not always easy but necessary for the triumph of good.

Atticus Finch is a fictional character defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is found guilty of raping a white woman despite all of the evidence that showed otherwise. In reality, America in the 1930s had racist views against black males mingling with white women. Atticus defended a black man, Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed,” this obscures a more complex reality. Cases of

Aristotle once said, “We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.” The meaning behind Aristotle’s quote is that being ethical is important because it is what a person does, that defines a person. Morality and ethics play a huge role in life, especially doing what is right over what will be accepted, and is shown throughout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Lee uses the novel’s moral compass, Atticus Finch, and his foil, the hypocritical Maycomb townspeople, to show the moral obligations society has to do what is right rather than what is accepted.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel in fiction based on the author’s own past experience. All the characters in the book are similar to the author’s real-life family. The book is about Atticus Finch, who is portrayed as a hero and role model displaying strong moral values apart from his capabilities.

Throughout history, many people have had trouble finding the courage to take risks and do what they believe is right, instead choosing to follow the crowd. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the reader learns and grows along with Scout, a young citizen of the town of Maycomb during the 1930s. Scout’s Father, Atticus, is asked to be the defendant lawyer of Tom Robinson, an African American man unfairly accused of raping a white woman. In the town, many people still hold on to stereotypical and prejudicial ideas such as their angry neighbor Mrs. Dubose. This prompts them to disagree with Atticus’s choice to take on the trial and defend Tom Robinson. These unfair conceptions lead to encounters with people who are furious with Atticus, and act out against him and his family. As Scout grows in these experiences with Atticus and Mrs. Dubose, she learns that when given the choice between the easy route and the right route, one should always pick the way that will do the most good for the world.

“Simply because we’re licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (101). One of the major lessons of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is to always do the right thing. The text is told through the narrator Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. She lives in the small, old town of Maycomb, Alabama with her brother, Jem Finch and her father, Atticus. Across the street from the Finch’s lives Arthur “Boo” Radley who is believed to be a horrible human who eats squirrels and cats and is locked in the basement of his house for his actions when he was a teen. Throughout the novel there is also a trial that inundates the whole town between Tom Robinson and the daughter of Bob Ewell, a man who is a disgrace to the town. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterization to show that people should always do the right thing even when faced with big obstacles.

In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, characters like Atticus, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson show innocence and bravery by making an important impact on society as a whole. For example, Atticus is an innocent man that only wants what is best for the town of Maycomb and his kids. During the trial, Scout turns to Jem and explains to him, “Atticus says cheatin’ a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man… says it’s the worst thing you can do”(Lee 269). This proves that Atticus is obviously behind equal rights and shows that he supports everyone, colored or white. In addition, Tom Robinson tried his hardest to have a positive impact on Maycomb, all he wanted to do was help out when possible, including Mayella when he wanted

Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Mandela was an anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist. His life experiences and the quote he left us with show a direct reflection to the lives in many characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. In this novel, one of the main characters was Atticus Finch. Mr. Finch’s life was very similar to Mr. Mandela’s, as he was appointed to represent Tom Robinson for the charge of rape against a white woman in Maycomb, Alabama. Deep inside, the reader can feel Atticus’ internal fear, but his courage to teach his family and community right from wrong before, during, and after the trial proved that he conquered that fear. In today’s society, diversity is welcomed. Thanks to many important events in our history people of all races and colors are treated equally. There is much more acceptance than there was in the setting of this novel. This story took place in the deep south in the 1930’s. The conflict centers around a white family with a black housekeeper who is directly involved in a court case between a white woman and a black man. A relationship was involved. This hearing raised the race issue to the people of Maycomb when the facts were pretty obvious that the black man was innocent. In those days, interacial relationships and blacks