Inspiration, Saviour and Hero: Atticus Finch When we hear the word hero, the typical view that comes to mind is someone who fights crime and saves people from mortal dangers, but the true definition of a hero is a courageous person, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee uses memorable characters to explore Civil Rights and racism in the 1930’s; during the segregation in the Southern states of USA. The story is told through the eyes of Scout Finch. As the story continues we learn about her father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer who hopelessly tries to prove the innocence of a black man, who is unjustly accused of raping a white women. In Harper Lee’s novel, Atticus Finch is a significant character; he is an idol and inspiration in the eyes of his children, Jem and Scout Finch, a saviour in the eyes of Tom Robinson, and a courageous hero through the eyes of modern society. The main traits determining whether someone is a hero and worth of emulation, is if they are empathetic and selfless, which is the first step in every hero’s journey; it is the moment when they determine their mission. The second step is to be a catalyst for change, which is when the hero makes efforts to achieve their mission, and lastly it is to be courageous and have qualities and traits that separate them from others in their society. Atticus Finch shows many heroic traits through the course of the novel; he is empathetic and acts for the greater good,
When people think of heroes, they will likely think of Superman, Spiderman, or the Hulk, but Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, has created a new hero. His name is Atticus Finch. Scout, Atticus’s daughter, says, “Our father didn’t do anything. He worked in an office, not a drug store. Atticus did not drive a dump truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone” (Lee 118). Although Scout does not consider her father to be neither youthful nor energetic, he does what all heroes do- he protects the innocent. The main theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is destroyed and preserved innocence, and without Atticus protecting the innocent, all innocence would be destroyed. Atticus embodies the theme of To Kill a Mockingbird and shows heroism by setting a good example for the children and the townspeople, giving insightful advice to his children, and protecting an innocent African American man before the civil rights era had even begun.
Although they are critiqued, some people do whatever they can do to improve our society. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch proves himself to be a hero. This small-town lawyer exhibits bravery, strength, and modesty when faced with objection during Maycomb’s quarrel for justice. Without a doubt, Atticus proves that anybody can stand for what he or she believes is right.
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch includes many examples of ethos, pathos, and logos in his closing argument. It is most likely that the best device that would be used to sway the jury would be logos. Because the facts in the Ewell’s testimony do not add up in accordance to the testimony of Tom Robinson, using more reasonable evidence would be more persuading to the jury. Although logos is a very crucial part of this trial, the devices ethos and pathos are also important.
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.
Whether in the form of a living person or a fictional character from a book or movie, heroes are prevalent in everyone's life. The typical view of a hero is someone who fights crime or saves people from mortal peril, but the true definition of a hero is a person of distinguished courage admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is the true definition of hero. Although he wasn't seen as a hero during the time the book took place, Atticus Finch is considered to be one of the most heroic figures in American Literature because of his courage, intelligence, and sense of what is right and what is wrong.
Even though the odds go against him, Atticus Finch bravely stands up to his beliefs and morals. Futhermore,
Caring and noticeable is Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird take readers to the source of humans action, through faults and experiment, kindness and trouble, hatred and love, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch is a lawyer and a single parent at Maycomb town in the 1930’s. He was set by the judge to defend the guy who was charged with raping a white woman: Tom Robinson(Black man). Friends and neighbors of Atticus Finch were not happy with the fight Atticus was putting up to defend the man who was charged for raping a white woman. Not only does Atticus enjoy being a lawyer, Atticus even enjoy being a father of Jem and Scout. Atticus Finch is a excellent character who is known for certain accomplishment and superior. He is known for many stuff. Atticus Finch has remained a hero in modern days for american literature for decades and an honorable figure due to his honesty as a parent, a lawyer, and a respectable community members.
People mature and develop as they experience life and those changes are sometimes characterized by the people around us. These developments are a requirement for growth in a person, and can change a person in a big or small way. These people that influence our life can be considered our wise advisors. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch acts as the wise advisor for the town of Maycomb. Atticus influences and helps develop qualities in various characters by being a role model to exemplify the morals and ethics he believes in.
. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how fear and racism has characterized someone’s potential in to being a “mockingbird.” Harper Lee clearly sets up most characters as either a hero, or villain through unique ways without looking at a hero as “man with a gun” (112 Lee). Although, Atticus seems to be the claimed hero in the story, some other improbable heroes are evident such as, Arthur Radley and Mrs. Dubose. The actions they have done raises them into the unlikely hero status is also the one reason that hurts them so much. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee portrays true heroes as people who persevere through hardships, even though they will suffer the consequences of their actions.
Atticus Finch to many readers can be considered as a righteous and selfless person. As a just lawyer, he only fights for justice and chooses to do the things that are proper in God’s eye and law-abiding. In the novel, Atticus Finch had done the things that other whites wouldn’t do, which is to become a defense lawyer for a black man. In a racial society, it can be
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that is prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others. When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual.
One example of a hero from To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus Finch, the father of the protagonist, Scout. One example of Atticus’s heroism is when he shows courage by defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. This shows courage because no one else wanted to defend Tom, and he knew he was going to lose. Atticus says real courage is, “When you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” This quote illustrates the idea because Atticus knows he will not win the Tom Robinson case, but he shows courage by seeing it through all of the way to the end. Another example of Atticus being a hero is that he always respects everyone. He does not care what people look like, he justs respects them. No one believes Tom is innocent at first just because he is black, but Atticus respects him and trusts him. Also, when he is cross-examining Mayella at the trial he shows respect for her by calling her “ma’am” and “Miss Mayella.” Dill says, “Well, Mr. Finch didn't act that way to Mayella and old man Ewell when he cross-examined them. The way that man called him 'boy' all the time an' sneered at him, an' looked around at the jury every time he answered-." This quote shows Atticus is a polite and respectful gentleman because even though he was cross-examining Mayella and Mr. Ewell, he was considerate. Atticus is just one of many heroes in To Kill a Mockingbird, but he is a major one.
Atticus Finch revealed his definition of heroism as “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”
In classic tales of superheroes, the most popular are Superman and Batman but in this novel there was Atticus Finch. Finch was a humble man with strong moral ethics who defied the traditions of society and defended a black man. Tom Robinson, accused of the rape and beating of Ms. Mayella Ewell, did not stand a chance of being found innocent. Who wanted to defend this man and become the ridicule of the county? The only individual that accepted this daunting and dirty task was Atticus, the story’s main hero whose character reflected the epitome of moral good. When the town turned against him for defending Tom Robinson, Atticus became more resilient in fighting a
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.