To Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis

Atticus is guarding the jailhouse to make sure no one hurts Tom Robinson before his trial, when he is approached by Walter Cunningham and his fellow goons. Atticus shows his bravery by standing his ground for what he believes is right in front of his son. When Scout lashes out to her father’s side, Jem holds onto her and tries to stop her from interfering. Then Jem refuses to go home and stands up for his father’s side although the odds were against them, while trying to protect his sister from harm. In page 152, chapter 15, Scout says, “... but from the way he stood, Jem was not thinking of budging.” This shows us that Jem has matured from the boy who would do anything if dared, to a young man who can barricade his emotions and proceed with reason in difficult situations.

Atticus teaches Jem and Scout to act courageously by modelling that type of behaviour. By defending Tom Robinson Atticus puts himself in the middle of the conflict. Tom Robinson and

Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”

The church and God are synonymous with righteousness. Therefore, Atticus uses the widespread influence of religion to equate the moral teachings of God with how he dutifully carries out the defense of an innocent black man. These instances in which Atticus’s true character is revealed, both directly and indirectly, teach Scout and Jem that keeping a good conscience is the perfect antidote to “Maycomb’s usual disease”, which is just a small strain of the larger societal problem of prejudice.

Following the occurrence at the jail came the actual trial of Tom Robinson. During the trial Scout felt an assurance that Tom would be set free. After all, no solid evidence that Tom’d committed the crime had surfaced. However any hope that the townsfolk would make up for their prejudice vanished when the guilty verdict was read. “It was like watching Atticus walking to the street raise a rifle to his shoulder and pulled the trigger but watching all the time knowing the gun was empty.” (Lee 211) In this quote Scout compares the trial to the mad-dog incident, indicating that she understands Atticus 's bravery in that she knows he never had a chance at overcoming Maycomb 's prejudice. Scout demonstrates a new understanding of Maycomb in that she is able to

However, the kids are not quick to accepting people most of the time. Without Atticus being there to guide them along the path of righteousness, Jem and Scout would be just like any other kid in Maycomb. When the kids are confused as to why Atticus was trying to do the ethical thing and defend Tom, Miss Maudie has to explain to them that he was making "baby steps in the right direction" (183). When Jem is still absent minded about the ordeal, Miss Maudie says, "I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.' 'Oh,' said Jem. 'Well.' 'Don't you oh well me, sir,' Miss Maudie replied, recognizing Jem's fatalistic noises, 'you are not old enough to appreciate what I said'" (183). The kids are impetuous to judge people, like Boo Radley, and Atticus has to stand up for him against the children. Even if Scout and Jem do a good deed of exemplifying equality, they are following by Atticus' admirable example since he is their father and they live under his influence.

Furthermore, Tom’s trial also affects Atticus’ personal life because it creates internal conflict within Scout, who is unsure of whether to follow society or her father. However, when faced with this dilemma, he counters in a manner that is not appealing, but rather eye-opening. Atticus firmly tells Scout: “This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.” ( Lee, 76 ). By stating that he can not be selective about his cases and how he must uphold the law at all times, Atticus shows Scout that his integrity will not compromised for the sake of his community. This shows the magnitude Atticus is willing to go to not stray from his original morals. The fact that he did not sugarcoat his beliefs for Scout emphasizes how necessary he finds it to stay true to himself, this reinforces that he is not willing to bend his moral code for those closest to him such as his own flesh and blood. This also alludes to the abstract idea that he is willing to sacrifice himself in order to follow his sense of integrity and avoid undermining it. When the town’s men gather at the jail Tom is residing in, they come armed with weapons for their “snipe hunt” (Lee 151), to ensure that Tom does not make it to his trial. Atticus, who is standing there as Tom’s shield, does not waver in front of the mob of angry white men.

Tom Robinson’s trial was a hard one to watch, but it was so intriguing for the kids. Jem, Dill, and Scout just had to watch, so they left their house without permission to go see their dad defend Tom Robinson against Mayella Ewell. Jem thought that Atticus had a good chance at winning due to his cross-examination questions and the evidence he had. Once all of the jury’s votes came in unanimously as guilty, Jem started to realize what a twisted thing racism was. “I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: “Guilty … guilty… guilty...guilty” I peeked over at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate stab between them” (Lee 282). This quote really shows that Jem cares deeply for the trial and Tom Robinson. He does not understand why people are so rude to black people just because of skin color and he just wants everything to be equal. “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain’t right,” he muttered” (Lee 284). Jem’s anger reflected the unfairness towards Tom Robinson and the fact that justice was not served. During the trial Jem never seemed too phased by Bob Ewell’s attorney Mr. Gilmer clearly showing that Tom was worthless, because he thought that his dad was a

In his article,“Herd” Mentality Explained, Rick Nauert Ph.D. talks about how we as humans tend to follow things even when people may never even realize it. This connects to how Lee uses the characters of Jem and Scout to show the struggle of choosing between following the herd or being an individual.

But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home,” ( Lee, 76 ). By stating that he can not be selective about his cases and that he must uphold the law at all times, Atticus shows Scout that he will not compromise his integrity for the sake of his community; furthermore, Atticus will not bend his moral code even for those closest to him. This shows the magnitude of how far Atticus is willing to go to not stray from his morals and emphasizes how necessary he finds it to stay true to himself . This also alludes to the abstract idea that he is willing to sacrifice himself in order to follow his sense of integrity and avoid undermining it. When the town’s men gather at the jail Tom is residing in, they come armed with weapons for their “snipe hunt” (Lee 151), to ensure that Tom does not make it to his trial. Atticus, who is standing there as Tom’s shield, does not waver in front of the mob of angry white men. Instead, he is ready to fight for his beliefs. Scout describes the scene unfolding before her as: “somebody’s man would get jumped” (Lee 152), that man being Atticus. This illustrates the image as to how far their society is ideologically split. The town’s men blindly direct their anger towards the black sheep of the herd, while Atticus stands beside the black sheep proudly. Although Atticus recognizes the relationship he has with his town, because of his

While Tom Robinson lost his innocence in the courtroom, Jem and Scout, Atticus’s children, were put through event where their innocence was lost. Throughout the novel Jem and Scout witness and go through a lot of things no kid should have to go through. When Atticus was hired to defend Tom Robinson not only did the backlash of the town affect Atticus but it was rubbing off onto his children. Jem and

During this time, Atticus, who is a lawyer, takes on a very difficult case. He is defending Tom Robinson, who is an African American man being charged with raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. At the trial, Jem and Scout try to find seats, but they are all taken. Reverend Sykes, the reverend of the African American church, runs into Scout and Jem and tells them “There’s not a seat downstairs. Do you all reckon it’ll be alright if you all came to the balcony with me” (186)? The children happily take his offer and travel to the balcony where “Four negroes rose and gave them their front-row seats” (186). As time passes, Jem becomes very engaged in the trial. Scout says that “Jem seemed to be having a quiet fit. He was pounding the balcony rail softly, and once he whispered, “We’ve got him” (202). Jem is very confident that they have won the case, and thinks that Tom Robinson will not be convicted to be guilty. Later in the book, when they take a break from the trial, Jem excitingly goes up to Atticus and says “We’ve won, haven’t we?... You think they’ll acquit him that fast” (236)? Atticus starts to answer but abruptly stops and leaves. At this part, Atticus reacts towards Jem’s excitement and optimism. He knows that the odds of Tom Robinson not being guilty is very slim, but does not want Jem to be crushed. In conclusion, Jem does not fully comprehend the fact that the town is segregated and that Atticus will most likely not win the case.

The injustice of Tom Robinson’s trial convinces Jem and Scout that racism blinds the jury and the people of Maycomb. The metaphor “to kill a mockingbird” becomes clear with the experiences of the defendant in court. When all members of the jury conclude the guilt of Robinson based on his race, the siblings are in disbelief of the wrongfulness of the jury’s mindset. The trial itself teaches them about what it means to accept one’s duty to do the right thing, regardless the outcome. After the loss of the first trial, Atticus receives more respect from the negroes and some of the white folk in

The characterization of Scout shows how naive childhood innocence can shield children from the harsh harms of racism. Before the court case, the three kids went to town to see where Atticus has departed with a light bulb. After searching through the town, they come across Atticus in front of the county jail sitting and reading a newspaper whilst protecting Tom Robinson inside the jail cell. Shortly after the kids’ arrival, a mob of Maycomb citizens drives up to the jail cell in an attempt to hurt Tom Robinson. Before anything got out of hand, the kids run in front of Atticus and unknowingly disrupt the entire mob. Scout gives a monologue with such quotes as, “Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment getting’ along?” (Lee, 129) and “Entailments are bad…” (Lee, 129) The oblivious declarations made by Scout help

While Atticus is at Maycomb’s county jail to read to Tom Robinson, a group of men show up ready to harm Tom. The children intervene and Scout tries to start up a conversation with one of the men, Walter Cunningham. Walter makes the men draw back, and Atticus and the children return home. The next morning Scout asks her father why Mr. Cunningham wanted to hurt him when he was his friend. Atticus states, “Mr. Cunningham’s basically a good man, he just has his blind spots along with the rest of us.” (210) Scout experiences first hand that people are both good and bad from Mr. Cunningham. She knows him personally as she goes to school with his son and he has even given hickory nuts to their family as payment. For her to see this man who is both a good father and nice to her family in a mob going to harm Atticus if he gets in their way, makes her realize that everyone has their