To Kill A Mockingbird: Is Atticus A Good Parent

Throughout Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, it seems as if Atticus Finch is a failure as both a parent and a lawyer. However, somebody with a good understanding of the novel will realise that Atticus is in fact a terrific lawyer and a superb father. However, like all people, Atticus has his flaws.

What would kids do if they had no role models to look up to and to teach them important life lessons? Atticus is an ideal father because he displays a balance of comfort and support as well as discipline. He maintains a strong bond with both Jem and Scout since he always finds time for them even though he is always very busy with work. Atticus, being an open-minded and honest man, is able to teach his children many important life lessons. He teaches his children to tolerate others, to act courageously, and to judge people on what’s beyond the exterior.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird depicts Atticus Finch as a good father to his children due to his sense of fairness, his teaching, and his honesty. Atticus depicts fairness by treating his children and all others with respect and understanding. He teaches his children important life lessons and prepares them for when they go out into the world, and he sets a good example by always being honest. To be a good father, these are three very important qualities to possess.

Atticus is one of the major characters in To Kill a Mockingbird, and he appears in almost every chapter. Atticus is the father of Jem and Scout and appears in every chapter. While some might think Atticus is not a proper role model, he is a good role model because he treats everybody with respect, he sees other races as equal, and he fights for equality.

Atticus Finch is a model father created by Harper Lee in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird. He is an important figure in the Maycomb, Alabama Community. He raises his children, Jean Louise Finch (Scout) and Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) with wide sets of morals, disciplines them, and is a true role model. Atticus allows his children to be individuals and does not try to change who they are. He teaches them fairness and equality among many different types of people in Maycomb. He is always teaching his children about how their actions may affect others, then, as a result, devices punishments to teach Scout and Jem valued life lessons. In many situations, Atticus can chastise his children, but he allows them mature and notice their own mistakes

Mrs. Alexandra, from my understanding, a good parent is one who creates a safe nurturing environment for a child to grow up in, displays characteristics of a positive role model, and is an active part of a child’s life. (Atticus, look at Scout and Jem affectionately ) Good parents provide moral guidance, sets limitations, and implements consequences for a child’s behavior. (Atticus, use a ruler and slap it in your hand looking at Scout and Jem symbolizing a Spanking as punishment) Atticus is a very effective parent to Scout and Jem. I know he is constantly working; but rest assured, his children are his primary concern and he loves them very much. (Atticus, hug Scout and Jem or do something showing your love <3) Atticus finds time for his

To begin, Atticus is a great parent because he is not a hypocrite. Atticus adopts the beliefs, morals and values he teaches his children to his own life. Atticus taught Jem and made him witness how hard it is for their morphine-addicted neighbour, Mrs. Dubose, to fight through pain so that she can die unaddicted to meet her desire of dying beholden to nothing and no one. Mrs. Dubose is viewed as a brave woman by Atticus because she chooses not to die defeated (which is the easier way) but rather, to fight against something that is more powerful. Whereas, a man with a gun usually adopts his power from his gun to frighten others which makes people mistakenly think that he is brave when he is only choosing the easier way of looking powerful. This is why at one point in the story, Atticus teaches his son what real courage is when he says:

Parenting, a skill that can never be mastered but in the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee The character Atticus Finch sets an amazing example. Atticus raises two children as a single parent and works as a lawyer full time. Atticus’s wife died just after giving birth to his daughter, Scout Finch. Atticus is a well respected man in the town of Maycomb not only because he is the town lawyer but for how well he is raising his children. What comes with being a lawyer is a lot of stress and hate towards the family. Atticus has to deal with the stress of his job and taking care of his kids with the help of Calpurnia, his Housekeeper.

Bob Ewell was a father of 8 children with poor upbringing. His son, Burris Ewell was very rude to his teacher by calling her a “snot-nosed slut of a school teacher”. This implies that Bob Ewell probably behaved crudely at home, making his son naturally disrespectful. He also had beaten up his daughter, Mayella Ewell and taught her to lie in court despite knowing a man’s life was at stake. Another parent is Walter Cunnningham Senior. He set a bad example by joining a lynch mob. He made his son think that it was fine to lynch someone by using vigilante justice. Both parents were unconsciously leading the children to the wrong path. Although Atticus did not use “normal parenting methods”, he set a good example for his children to follow. By being a good role model for his children, they would listen to him more as he practiced what he preached, thus respecting him even more. If Atticus is truly a “failure as a parent”, what other parents in the book considered as? Atticus tried to bring his children up in the best way possible, by setting good examples for them, hence being a responsible

1. Atticus’s parenting style is different than other peoples. Atticus is the parent of Jem and Scout. Atticus to me has a really good relationship with his kids. Atticus is very straightforward with Scout and Jem.

The book To Kill a Mocking Bird written by Harper Lee, features a defense lawyer from Maycomb named Atticus Finch. He is also the great father to his son and daughter Scout and Jem.

“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.

While many may view a family as a mother and a father raising a few children, Atticus Finch proves that a family doesn’t have to fit the mold to flourish. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus raises his two children, Jem and Scout, after his wife passed away. Just because Atticus isn’t married, doesn't mean he isn’t able to provide for his children physically, emotionally, and mentally. Miss Maudie comments on his parenting by saying, “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee 61). Atticus is a good parent for his children because he is able to set an example without remarrying. Scout and Jem learn to be honest, kind, and respectful to everyone from Atticus. Scout, the novel’s narrator, doesn’t feel any sense of emptiness by not having a mother to raise her. The Finch’s may not be a traditional family, but Atticus’s parenting shows that they are able to be successful and happy.

What defines a good parent? Who defines a good parenting style? Society, through parenting books and magazines, has discussed this at length, and there are obviously varied opinions. There are certain attributes that are generally used consistently to define a good parenting style. It is not discipline or respect, but the characteristics that stand out for a good parent are trust, love, listening and understanding. Love gives confidence and makes people what they want to be. In Harper Lee’s book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, these key attributes are used to define the parenting style of Atticus, the father of the 2 children, Jem and Scout. I believe that the author has defined a good parent as someone who loves his/her children unconditionally, communicates openly with them, someone who is there for them, some one who teaches good morals and values, and someone who shows them right from wrong. Harper Lee has intelligently demonstrated these characteristics by contrasting the parenting styles of Atticus (the good parent) vs. Bob Ewell, who plays the role of the antagonist in the book, and is portrayed as a bad parent. Both of these men are single parents, and the book therefore does not have much opportunity to view the role of the mother in the upbringing of the children. To illustrate this, the author has cleverly used the examples of 2 women, Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra, to share her thoughts on the importance of a woman’s role in a child’s life. Though these women

Atticus is a great parent. He does many things that make him a great parent such as, being respectful, giving great advice, and he is very caring. To begin with, Atticus does not expect the respect of his children but earns it, this is shown many times, but the best example is when he tells Scout “We’ll go on reading as we always have.” (pg.41) he is showing he respects Scout because he believes she is smart enough to read and agrees more with Scout than her teacher. Secondly, he gives them great advice, when Scout is upset about her teacher telling her not to read, Atticus tells her that she will get along with people better if she can climb into their skin and walk around in it. He makes her understand what is happening in her life and resolves her issue. Lastly, Atticus is very caring.