To Kill A Mockingbird Character Analysis

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

Atticus was assigned Tom Robinson in the case against Bob Ewell, and in the process he was an example to both his children and the town as an honorable lawyer. When Bob Ewell brought a case to court claiming his white daughter had been raped by black Tom Robinson, almost everyone assumed the jury would charge Robinson guilty; however, Atticus hoped for a different outcome. Atticus firmly believed his client was innocent, contrary to the public’s beliefs. Because Atticus was highly respected as a lawyer, this case caused a riff between the town. As Tom awaited his trial in the county jail, Atticus spent the night guarded the door to the cell. A group of perturbed men soon ambushed Atticus and demanded to see the prisoner. “You know what we want,” another man said. “Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch (153).” In this situation, Atticus displayed honor through risking his life so an innocent black man was not killed. Even though he lost respect among his some neighbors, Atticus was honorable in his actions and stayed true to

Atticus is a man with morals. When he sees a person, white or black in need of justice he is always there to help, no matter the cost. In Maycomb County when a black man is on trial he is automatically seen as guilty. When Atticus was chosen to defend Tom Robinson many of the people in the community took it upon themselves to pay him a visit. It was understood by everyone that Tom had no chance and some of the men in the county went to Atticus to see if he would drop the case. Atticus knows though that Tom is innocent and deserves to have a fair trial. “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going until the truth’s told” (Lee 146) . Atticus demands justice no matter who it is or what they’ve been accused of. He understands what needs to be done to give those who have been wrongly accused an honest hearing.

Lawyer Atticus Finch, in his closing argument from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee states in Tom Robinson’s case that racial prejudice has blinded the county into deciding the misguided decision. Finch’s purpose is to convince the jury one’s race is irrelevant to justice. He adopts a moralistic tone in order to persuade the jury of Tom Robinson’s innocence. Finch furthers his purpose by effectively employing rhetorical devices to inform the jury to discard their differences and make the choice that can set an innocent man free.

This shows how Judge Taylor wants to maintain Tom Robinson’s rights. With his every will and resource, Atticus attempts to provide Tom with the most just form of defence, meriting his honest and non-discriminating behaviour. He does this while he is aware of the opposition and downgrading he will face.

It had nothing to do with Atticus’ speech because his speech would of won over any jury. Just think about it, if the jury had let Tom go they could have went through everything Atticus went through. Almost being killed every single day, angry mobs showing up to their homes, and being called “nigger-lovers” could’ve been just the start of it. Even though the jury was both racist and hated Tom, Atticus is highly respected by everybody and the jury does listen to him, to a certain extent. His words are highly considered but in the end the jury still has this in the back of their minds: Tom Robinson is a negro.

I believe that Atticus did the proper thing by defending Tom Robinson during the trial. Though it was controversial throughout Maycomb County, he served as an exceptional example for his children by accepting the case and genuinely defending a black man. There were many downsides when Atticus agreed to take the case appointed to him. Initially, his reputation and social status took a blow from this incident. This lead to backlash and insults from people across the community. The Finchs' had one of the highest social statuses in the town, for Atticus had a suitable job with a reputable name. (Lee PAGE) When word about this incident spread, many people disapproved. This was evident when many of Scout's classmates taunted her about her father being "a nigger lover", which they unmistakably picked up from their parents. (Lee PAGE) Atticus' family members were not too pleased with this decision as well. In the text, Francis repeats what his grandmother said, saying "[Atticus] ruinin‘ the family, that’s what he’s doin’". (Lee PAGE) Additionally, Mrs. Dubose had several degrading comments to say about the

Atticus is a very determined character. Throughout the novel, he focuses on Tom Robinson’s case. "Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told . . . And you know what the truth is" (146). This quote from the book shows that Atticus is really determined to prove that Tom is not guilty. He knows that the whole town is against him because he is defending a black man. Even though, everyone thinks that it is impossible for Tom to win at odds with the Ewells, Atticus is determined. He feels that Tom should have a chance, and he is determined to prove that.

During the 1930’s, racism and drug addiction were far from rare. 54% of executed people were African American and for every ten women, seven were addicted to opium, morphine or laudanum. Following these trends was common, but going against the statistics and changing the outcomes was no easy task. In Harper Lee’s best seller To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch and Mrs. Dubose prove change is possible. Atticus Finch, the only lawyer in small Maycomb County, Alabama, rattles the sleepy town when he accepts a case to defend an accused Negro named Tom Robinson.

Atticus is a lawyer, which allows him to have a say in court cases to prove someone innocent. When Tom Robinson is accused of rape, Atticus is the only lawyer willing to fight Tom’s case. Atticus was known to be one of the best lawyers the town had. Bob Ewell (the person who accused the rape) was in fear of going to prison seeing that one of the most powerful lawyers was against him. On page 23-25, “They shot him,” said Atticus. “He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them…”. The amount of power instilled in Atticus caused Bob to create false accusations once again in order to save himself. Atticus was a true figure that resembled what must be done with great

Judge Taylor could have asked anyone to defend Tom, but he specifically chose Atticus. “... theres been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man” (75). Atticus is showing courage by defending Tom as he would anyone else, even when the rest of the town thinks he should not be. Doing what

Atticus uses the facts and evidence provided by witnesses to prove that Tom Robinson is innocent. However, an all-white jury still finds him guilty. Atticus knew his chances of winning the case from the beginning were slim. However, this did not stop him from trying. He courageously gave Tom Robinson the best defense he could. When Tom Robinson was moved to the local jail, some townsmen tried to harm him. Atticus left his home in the middle of the night with an empty gun and sat in front of the jailhouse to protect Tom. When the men came, he confronted them fearlessly. He did this to preserve his client’s right to a trial and to protect him from harm. During Tom’s trial, Atticus did not shrink back from thoroughly examining and cross-examining his witnesses to prove Tom’s innocence. In his closing argument, Atticus courageously states that all men deserve justice equally, “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution but in the country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal. () Atticus had to be courageous to say this in a town that believed that white people were superior to black

The character of Jem Finch, in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, noticeably matures and changes throughout the story. His father Atticus has just been assigned a case in which he must defend an African American, which gains him and his family negative attention from most of the town. However, he still finds time to raise Jem and his younger sister Scout, which includes him teaching them about what is takes to possess courage. Jem’s original idea of courage was measured by physical as opposed to moral means. As Jem ages, he learns that courage can also be defined as not just doing something for the attention but doing it because it is the right thing to do.

chance of winning this case, but he wanted to try anyway. Atticus believed that the accusations were unfair and that Tom Robinson should be legible to a fair trial. Tom should be defended by someone who believes in him. Atticus thought it would be hypocritical of him to tell others to treat others fairly if he didn’t follow that rule

Atticus displays acts of personal courage in his willingness to keep others safe and his response to racism based threats. Many of the citizens of Maycomb County and its surrounding area were upset about Atticus, a lawyer, taking the defense case of Tom Robinson, a black man who was accused of raping a white woman. Mr. Link Deas and Mr. Heck Tate, along with some other men in Maycomb, come to tell Atticus about the Old Sarum lynch mob coming to kill Tom. The next night, Atticus goes down to the county jail and tells the mob to go home and leave Tom alone (Lee 194 and 202). The lynch mob comes to kill Tom, so they could potentially hurt Atticus, too. The amount of courage Atticus has to display to defend Tom outside of the courthouse and stand up to a dangerous mob of men is extremely high, considering the risks he takes. Atticus comes home from work one day, after the trial is over, and is approached by Mr. Bob Ewell, the victim's father: "According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, however, Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him... Atticus's peaceful reaction probably prompted him to inquire,'Too proud to fight, you [Negro-lover]?' Miss Stephanie said Atticus said, 'No, too old', put his hands in his pockets, and strolled on"(291). Mr. Ewell is upset that Atticus had tried to prove that Tom was innocent and that Mr. Ewell had hurt his own daughter. He also believes that