In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the tragic story of the overall loss of innocence in 1930’s Alabama. Atticus Finch fathers two children while working as an overworked but ethical lawyer. His law practice prevents his presence at home. Robert Ewell fathers eight children, whom he raises on his own due to the death of his wife. Robert Ewell lives as a poor man who rarely receives respect in Maycomb County, the town of which they live. Though they may share the similarity of living as fathers, Atticus Finch and Robert Ewell greatly contrast in their morals and views, parenting styles, and in the outcome of their children. Atticus Finch, a character grounded in his respect and morals, centers on his belief in self-respect. That is, self-respect draws from the actions and choices he makes in life. Should Atticus stray from this path, he believes he would lose his right of authority (Lee 78). Along with this, Atticus speaks against racism, stating that though some black people may do wrong, the same goes for whites and every other race. Additionally, every group of people contains its good and bad, and of the immorality of convicting Tom Robinson based solely on his race (Lee 208). When Atticus hears his daughter Scout saying the “n-word”, he elucidates to her its impropriety and expresses his belief in loving all people regardless of color (Lee 112). Robert Ewell embodies the adverse of Atticus. Robert Ewell routinely dehumanizes Tom Robinson within the court's
Atticus respects Tom Robinson when he is appointed by the judge to be his lawyer at his trial. Atticus shows that everyone should be treated equally in a court of law, he stood up for Tom Robinson. Atticus demonstrates respect for Tom Robinson by telling his son that his race doesn’t matter. He says, "Nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything." (144).
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930’s in a small town in Alabama called Maycomb. It is there we are introduced to Atticus Finch who is a widower with two children, Jem and Scout. As a father, Atticus does his best to teach his kids the necessities of life; however to some Atticus is not a conventional father due to his full time job that not only causes him to be away from his kids for much of the day leaving Calpurnia to do much of the parenting, but also inadvertently exposes Jem and Scout to danger. Even though he is time poor he manages to model compassion, moral integrity and respect that affects the way the kids hold themselves. Atticus’ work commitments allow Jem and Scout to become independent in themselves. This
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
Atticus Finch demonstrates his words of, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it," throughout the novel. For example, Mrs. Dubose always speaks poorly of Atticus and all the decisions Atticus decides to make. However, Atticus is always looking for ways to excuse her poor behavior and even goes as far as making Jem read to her and complimenting her every time he sees her. This does not stop Mrs. Dubose from deteriorating Atticus's reputation and character until her death. Atticus also uses the Golden Rule when he decides to help the case of Tom Robinson, an American African accused of rape. Atticus treats Tom Robinson how he would want to be treated. Atticus knows he is going to lose th case due to the extensive amounts of racism in the county. However, this does not stop him from trying his best for Tom Robinson, as he would want others to do for him if he was
Furthermore, Atticus displayed integrity while defending Tom Robinson. Atticus made decisions based on his own conscience and not that of others. Lee writes, “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. (105) Atticus is a man with morals, and therefore defends Tom Robinson in front of a racist jury to give him his right to a fair trial. Even though he knows he has a slim chance of winning the case, Atticus continues to do his best. Atticus asks the white jurors to consider the case on its merits and not take into consideration the race of the defendant, Tom Robinson. Atticus’s neighbor Miss Maudie, further describes his integrity by stating, “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.” (46) Miss Maudie is saying that Atticus does not have anything to hide and does not try
After Tom Robinson is convicted guilty of raping Mayella Ewell, Atticus begins to explain to Jem that they did not win the case because of having an all white jury. Atticus explains that once the children grow older, they will realize that white men do not treat black men with respect and “no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family comes from, that white man is trash” (187). Atticus does not try to hide his disagreement of racism, which displays that he is socially aware and knows that everyone deserves to be treated equally. Scout starts her first grade year at school and comes home complaining to Atticus that she never wants to go back to school, like Walter Cunningham. Scout’s father makes her feel compassionate by saying “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view– until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (22). Atticus making Scout understand that everyone may have different hidden conflicts to deal within their life reflects Lee’s views of treating everyone fairly. Atticus’s sister, Alexandra, moves into the Finch’s house and does not approve of having Calpurnia, a black maid, around the children. Angered by Alexandra’s disprovement, Atticus tells her that Calpurnia is “a faithful member of this family and you’ll simply have to accept things the way they are” (115). Atticus standing up to Alexandra’s remarks about not wanting to have the children raised by a black maid show’s Lee’s views on how all races should receive the same treatment. The characterization of Atticus emphasizes Lee’s strong feelings about how standing up for the equality and justice of people makes our society
Atticus Finch is the most respectful, honorable, and nonpartisan character in the book, unlike his degrading sister, Alexandra. Atticus delineates his antiprejudicial character by first acting courteously to the Cunninghams, even though they are one of the most impecunious families in Maycomb. Atticus understands the Cunninghams cannot pay him back but shows he is contempt doing whatever he can for them. Subsequently, Atticus chooses to defend Tom Robinson, an African American accused of beating and raping a white lady, Mayella Ewell. Accepting the case of Tom and Mayella confirms his character by illustrating his passion against discrimination. Ultimately, Atticus expounds to his children, Scout and Jem, that although widely
Atticus Finch, another character in To Kill a Mockingbird, is trapped in a racist society that unjustly lashes out at him when he does what he believes in, but he continues to keep his head up and overcomes their bias. For example, on a Saturday when Scout and Jem walk by Mrs. Dubose’s house while on their way to town, Mrs. Dubose yells at them, “‘Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!’” (Lee 135). Mrs. Dubose is only one of several people who attack Atticus for doing what he believes in, which is treating everyone fairly. Atticus tries to uphold his own moral code but only receives hostility for it. The backlash from the community is solely out of prejudice and is completely unjustifiable; if anything, he deserves
He had announced in the schoolyard that Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers. I denied it, but I told Jem” The Jim Crow Laws have unwritten laws that says that black people are always wrong when convicted.Even children who are in 1st grade understand that the Jim Crow Laws doesn’t affect them and that black people are not human.Atticus, being the intelligent man he is, tries to persuade the juries to show that Tom Robinson is not guilty.“The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells’. The evidence boils down to you-did--I-didn’t. The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against the Ewells”Even though Tom Robinson is a good man, the Ewells are still white and Tom is still African American. The unwritten Jim Crow Law always brought the black man is guilty of anything he did when convicted.Atticus becomes an influential person to the black community for helping out a black man while he himself is white. Even without the Jim Crow Laws problems would be the
Way back in the 1930’s, most people in the South had rather racist opinions towards those with darker skin. Sometimes, though, there were some kind oddballs who didn’t have these opinions and wanted to end the idea of racism. Atticus Finch, a 50 year old lawyer in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is a man who is such a person. In the story, Atticus is assigned, by the county Judge, to defend an African American man who has been accused to rape. Atticus takes the case without much question, receives quite a bit of criticism from the people in his community, but continues to defend Robinson out of pure moral. Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus presents himself as intelligent, accomplished, and patient.
For the most part, what Atticus believes can be boiled down to a single simple phrase. “I do my best to love everybody” (Lee 144). Unlike most citizens in the community of Maycomb who are racist and obsessed with social status or position, Atticus looks at everyone as an individual- a human being- even those outcast by the members of their own society (including, but not limited to, Boo Radley, the blacks, and poor of the community). He tries to see the good in everyone and is dedicated to making his children have the same perspective he has. In every sense of the word, Atticus Finch is a wise and kind man, one who doesn’t cause the reader of To Kill a Mockingbird to question his actions, intents, or motivations. In the novel, Atticus makes a very powerful statement that shows his position about racial hatred, and his view of the case, regardless of what the rest of the county thinks about him. “This is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men” (Lee 273). Atticus’s understanding of equality allows him to really see clearly that the case of Tom Robinson has been motivated by racial hatred/discrimination. In general, as a lawyer, he is as much as he is a father- focused on justice, equality, and imbued with the special talent of seeing from a multitude of angles in every situation. Atticus is a man who has a firm belief in racial equality and
Atticus Finch, a single father of two children, Jem and Scout, shows courage what he stands up for Tom Robinson. For example, people spit harsh words at Atticus after finding out he was defending Tom Robinson in a court case. Cecil Jacobs, a fellow classmate, said to Scout, “My Folks said your daddy is a disgrace an’ that n****** oughta hang from the water-tank!” (102). People around Atticus are not fond of black people, and therefore are opposed to Atticus defending a black man.
The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird is a historical-fiction written by Harper Lee. The novel’s main character and narrator Jean Louise (Scout) Finch is introduced to many of the world’s hardships, and its harsh realities. Standing as Scout’s father is Atticus Finch, leading her down the path of righteousness, fairness, and equality. Atticus is an excellent father, whom leaves little to be desired on the topic of parenting. He shows his superb parenting in numerous ways- ranging from the allowing of his children to have their own walks of life, raising his children as individuals, and not hiding his children from the true evils of the world.
In Harper Lee’s monumental novel, she draws the comparison between Atticus Finch and Robert E Ewell by the situations that they are found in. Both labeled widowers from the very beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, the many similarities and contrasting differences that can be found are truly what make the theme of situation does not determine success stand out and ring true to all its readers throughout the book. Bob Ewell is a foil character to Atticus as despite the two main characters both losing their partners on the path of life, one of them continues on as a survivor through his pain and teaches his children to the best of his abilities without someone else to depend on; while the other drowns in whiskey and turns to illegal poaching, his mental and physical stability crumbling as he leaves his children to
“To Kill a Mockingbird”, an acclaimed novel by Harper Lee, is recognized throughout the world. The novel follows a lawyer and his children prior to and during a legal case to defend a black male. That lawyers name is Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is not just an ordinary father. He teaches his children things no parent of the 1930s, or even the modern time period, would think of doing. His style parenting, compared to modern day parenting and parenting in the 1930s, is unique and is not traditionally the way a parent wants to raise their child.