The Real Struggle of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Did Atticus do the Right Thing? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a lawyer and a father of two children named Jem and Scout. Atticus comes across a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of assaulting a white women. Atticus decides to defend Tom Robinson, but did he do the right thing? I believe that Atticus did do what was right.

Atticus’ bravery inspired his child to do the right thing and have a positive impact. During the trial, Atticus’ efforts to prove Tom’s innocence and address the jury set racial stereotypes, exposing the racism behind Maycomb’s southern ways. Such actions gave voice to the feelings of injustice and helped people see beyond skin color, treating each other as human beings. This paved the way for civil rights to happen and consequently reformed the 20th century. Having been a beloved classic novel, recognized for its themes of moral bravery and racial injustice, Harper Lee’s

In the beginning epigraph of To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee quotes a statement made by Charles Lamb: "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once." As told through the eyes of the rambunctious elementary school child, Scout Finch, we see not only how she and her brother's lives are affected by their community, also how they develop and mature under the watch of their father, lawyer Atticus Finch. As a wise role model to his town of Maycomb as well as his children, Atticus Finch becomes a prominently admirable character. As a father, lawyer, friend, and foe, Atticus Finch proves himself to be an honest, selfless, and courageous human being. Throughout many of the

Racism has disrupted and changed the lives of the characters in `To kill a Mockingbird'. The main characters, the Finches, are persecuted because Atticus is defending a black man in court. My attitude to racism changes as this force is only disturbing Scout at the beginning of this narrative. Racism is, at first, bullying and discriminative on a basic level. My attitude develops as the force of racism is now affecting the many individuals in Maycomb. Furthermore, racism is life altering and causes some people to become outcasts, as in Mr Dolphus Raymond's case. Racism is back

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.

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’

As Jem was eating Miss Maudie’s cake, she explains to him how Atticus had to have defended Tom because “he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that” (183), showing that Atticus had to be appointed to the case for a reason, and that reason was he's the only person who could get an all-white jury to really think about the conviction of a black man. Normally, an all-white jury would convict a black man for any crime in a significantly shorter amount of time since it’s always a white person’s word against a black person’s word which doesn’t hold strongly in court; nevertheless, Atticus seemed to be able to get to them because the jury took longer than usual to convict a case that would have been quick and effortless. Since he wore out the jury out for that long, Atticus is recognized as the person the good people of Maycomb solely trusts to create the change that their town so desperately needs. As it turns out, Scout thinks “[they’re] making a step—it’s just a baby-step, but it’s a step” (183). This depicts how although Atticus lost his case, he did make the jury question if they should really convict a black man which to Scout and presumably other residents of Maycomb is a step in the direction towards change in the deep

Mrs. Dubose is an old lady who lives two doors up the street from the Finch's house. Atticus' son, Jem destroyed Mrs. Dubose's flowers because she had said disrespectful things about Atticus which brought out Jem's anger. Even though Atticus was very upset, he does not believe violence is the appropriate way to approach any situation considering it does not teach you valuable lessons. Instead, Jem's punishment was to read to Mrs. Dubose every day for the month and in the end taught him the true meaning of courage. Atticus demonstrates that holding your head up and fists down will save you from more complicated situations. Another example would be when disrespectful Bob Ewell spat on Atticus' face because Atticus made Bob look like a fool during his testimony. Atticus stayed calm during the whole situation. He held his head high and walked away during the scene. Following this further, Atticus sets honorable examples for his children. He believes all people have goodness in their hearts no matter how cruel or heartless they act, even if their status was low, they would have generosity and kindness inside. The first impression of Mrs. Dubose was described as a rude lady. She says to Scout, “Don't you say hey to me, you ugly girl! You say good afternoon, Mrs. Dubose!” (Lee 133). However, Mrs. Dubose is really a kind lady who causes no harm once you get the kindness out of her. In addition, Atticus compliments her and treats her as he would treat any

There are unforgettable moments in a society when one can shape events for generations to come. For an individual to use proper judgements to change one’s living environment, and make the situation equal for others is a significant responsibility. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch presents as an evident contradiction of the society of Maycomb in which racism and injustice are customary in able to emphasize Lee’s lesson that one must stand with their own moral code, regardless of what others think in order to change society.

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.

As we were reading to kill a mockingbird I realized that Atticus Finch Is a really great father and lawyer. What really caught my eye in the book was when they accused Tom Robinson of allegedly raping Mayella Ewell. The fact that Tom Robinson only has one good arm and is left handed when Mayella Ewell had punch marks on her along with her neck being choked, all the evidence that Atticus presented showed that Tom Robinson was innocent. And then Tom Robinson ends up being guilty and what happened to him at the kind of end wasn't right and all Atticus wanted was justice and what end up happening to Tom Robinson was very unfair, just because of his skin color. If I was in Atticus position I would be disappointed because you would think people would see all the injustice happening at this time. And would see that what was happening ruined his life and they wouldn't like if that happen to them.

Race is the dominant cause of inequality in To Kill A Mockingbird, thus Maycomb’s views on race heavily influence every aspect of life. Although racial inequality is clearly illustrated in the in the injustice, prejudice, discrimination and antagonism surrounding the Tom Robinson trial, it is also shown more subtly throughout the novel. In chapter 25 Atticus Finch is quoted disclosing that the corrupt justice system is a direct cause of a racist society. “In our courts, when it's a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Pg 295). To emphasize, on the same occasion Atticus attempts to explain to his children how widely spread racism is, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life”

In the country town of Maycomb, people were easily influenced so prejudice was shown by most. The citizens knew that the colour of your skin determined your place in life and that Negroes were to be treated differently. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, there was only one true character that portrayed the true essence of tolerance. Atticus Finch stood on his own two feet, and never formed an opinion unless he had prior knowledge on the particular person or situation. Throughout the entirety of this novel, it was Atticus alone who not only was tolerant, but set an exemplarily example to his children, and the town, of how knowing before judging is not only important, but vital to society. “First of all…if you can learn a simple trick Scout, you’ll get along better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person till you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (p.33). This is a perfect example of how Atticus passes on his knowledge to his children, and educates them on how respect

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said “I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. Even though Atticus Finch is not black, he still thinks they same way as Martin Luther King Jr. and still wants the same for his children: a society with equality for all races. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, he delivers a persuasive speech in order to free an innocent black man. Even though he does not win the case, Atticus succeeds in making an impact on the future of racism in Maycomb. By using logic in his closing speech, Atticus forces the town to examine their awareness of the prejudice in their own lives.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, discusses many problems in the south around the 1930s. Atticus and his children live in Maycomb Alabama, struggling to get by financially.In the town of Maycomb Alabama, Harper Lee explains and tells the stories connected to harsh racism, segregation, and injustice. The main story in this book expresses an unfair tria for a african american man accused of rape by a white women. He gets taken advantage of my many people in this book because of his race, this is one of many examples that i will discuss in more detail. Racism has been occurring for many many decades, it seems to be way worse in the south and segregation has played a huge role in the act of racism. Most of the southern towns including Maycomb have strict laws and rules to abide by for segregation and racism witch mentally and physically affects the people of different race everywhere. The topic of racism is very important to me and i believe that there needs to be actions to help and come close to fixing it. The main racism point i will cover in this writing is segregation, Tom Robinson, Dolphis Raymond, Calpurnia, Atticus and his kids.