To Kill a Mockingbirds’ Atticus Finch
A brilliant example of modern American literature written by Harper Lee, ’To Kill a Mockingbird’; Whilst bringing to light the truly great aspects of the southern Gothic genre and expressing the harsh countenance of prejudice within America during the 1930’s.This novel has one truly intriguing protagonist named Atticus Finch who battles against the intense racial bigotry of the residents of Maycomb county, Alabama, who are currently suffering through the great depression. This character presents an insightful and understanding attitude throughout this novel shedding new light on everyday moral issues.
Atticus Finch is single father of two children Jean Louise Finch ‘Scout’ and Jeremy Finch ‘'Jem' although
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By taking this case and simply because the accused man is African-American, Atticus Finch is subjected to the towns negative supposed slander such as Mrs Dubose’s deplorable comments for example; “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the court-house lawing for niggers”.
Atticus accepts this case not because Tom Robinson is African American but because he believes that he is innocent and therefore defends Tom as best he can as an innocent man rather than a man of colour.
During the trial Atticus expresses how he stands for truth and believes in justice and the justice system however he doesn’t agree with criminal law. When he chooses Tom Robinsons case he knows before he begins that he will lose because of the prejudiced public involved in the case in this honestly righteous act Atticus shows us a truly important issue in this world in this act it’s not purely about the fate of a single man but rather vividly represents the harsh reality of the American legal system. During his closing remarks to the judge and jury Atticus
Atticus was a white male lawyer who took the case of a African American man named Tom Robinson while today that would be normal but in the 1930’s it was not. Despite it not being normal in that time period Mr. Atticus Finch took the Tom Robinson case and tried his best to defend him. At the end of court the jury voted the defendant Tom Robinson guilty later Tom Robinson was shot 17 times because he tried to “run away”. The prosecutor Bob Ewell was mad at Atticus for defending an African American man and threatened him and his family, later he attacked Jem and scout, Atticus’s children, only to be saved by a mysterious Mr. Arthur Radley. The real question is was Atticus Finch wise to defend Tom Robinson even though the drawbacks for his children.
Leading up to the Civil Rights Movement, the black community was in a constant battle against law enforcement treating them unfair compared to the white community. The Scottsboro Boys and Emmett Till’s cases were one of the many times that the legal system showed to be unfair to blacks. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, the law enforcement and community were very racist against blacks and believed all blacks were criminals. In the story, Atticus Finch, who is a lawyer gets put into a very difficult situation and decides to defend a black man, who went by the name of Tom Robinson.
To Atticus this case resembles chance. He believes that everyone should have a fair chance to speak out for what they believe in. As Tom Robinson’s trial took place, Atticus was determined to prove Tom’s innocence as his testimonies prove that towards the case but is declared guilty. This has occurred because Tom Robinson felt sorry for Mayella when Atticus was questioning Bob. This has lead the jury not to believe that a black man could feel sorry for a white woman.
Though people are fond of Atticus himself, his decision to aim for Tom Robinson’s justice causes discomfort, “ ‘Lemme tell you somethin’ now, Billy’ a third said, ‘you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger.’ ‘Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what I don’t like about it” (186). The quote exposes that everyone understand the fact that he is assigned to the case but do not understand as to why he is so intent on proving a black man’s innocence. Since Atticus exceedingly expresses his thought on Tim’s innocence and involves so much of himself in the case with a black person, he obtains negative feedback and gets called a nigger-lover.
In the novel, Tom Robinson and others experienced many injustices in the trial. Atticus Finch is the lawyer of Tom Robinson, an African American and he faced a injustice. For instance, he is looked at differently than every person in Maycomb because he is defending Tom. He is also treated differently. An example of that is when many people showed up to the jail house when Atticus was there reading to Tom and many men came and told Atticus to move or else they were going
What causes racism? This novel is about a white family that lives in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Scout, the main character, has a brother named Jem, father/lawyer named Atticus and a cook named Calpurnia. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses Conflict and the character Tom Robinson to reveal that racism can lead to injustice. Lee uses conflict to reveal that racism can lead to injustice.
An old town, and a tired one at that, it’s a town where the respect of others is valued above the dollar, a place where your ancestors dictated who you were, a place embedded in the Southern way of living. The result of this mentality is racism, where Negroes wouldn't dare breathe the same air as a white person, but rising above the racism and societally enforced norms are Atticus Finch. Atticus takes no heed of colour so when Tom robinson’s (a coloured man had been accused of raping a white woman, Miss. Mayella Ewell) case came around he snapped at the opportunity to defend a man he believed innocent.
“Cry about the simple hell people give other people without even thinking” (Lee 269). In this statement, Dolphus Raymond speaks to the children in attempt to display the reality of hatred and discrimination that surrounds humanity. Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it becomes quite evident that growing up in a world full of hatred looks much different through eyes that have not seen prejudice. Through these innocent perspectives, the reader looks through a window to glimpse the very raw core of human nature.
Through mentioning this, Atticus is appealing to the majority of the white jury’s ethical side, in which they feel strongly about their views of racial segregation, and acknowledging the fact that he understands that this code is the social criterion. However, as Atticus gets further in his speech, he applies pathos, where he makes the attempt of having the jury sympathize with or relate to Tom Robinson, referring to him as a “quiet, respectable, humble Negro” and addressing the fact that, though their common belief is that all coloured-people are dishonest, the reality is only some people, regardless of their demographics, can be untrustworthy. Even so, Tom Robinson, in this particular case, is not one of those immoral
Task # 1- To Kill A Mockingbird There are many different relationships within To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The relationships between the different hierarchies are complicated and difficult.
In the book, Atticus does something no one else would do in that time period. He gives Tom Robinson a chance to defend himself against racism. Tom is accused of raping Bob Ewell’s daughter, Atticus being smart knows this accusation is false. He uses kindness to prove his Tom's innocence. Even though he knew he would lose the trial, he gave it
Despite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people.
After Tom Robinson, a Black man, was accused of a terrible crime against a white woman, Atticus is the only one who believes that he deserves to have a fair trial. He chose to defend Tom Robinson, even though he knew that a Black man would have no chance of winning. Atticus was criticized for taking on this case, and the whites were very angry that Tom Robinson was not immediately killed. They did not think that he even deserved a trial. One day, an angry mob led by Mr. Cunningingham, one of the townspeople, arrived at the jail to take justice into their own hands.
Atticus takes on the case of Tom even though all odds are against him. Tom Robinson is a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. The people in the town are taking out their anger and frustration over the case on Atticus. During this time, the color of Tom's skin is what is making people think he was guilty. Atticus knows that he will get a case that will affect his home life eventually, and this case was it.
A critical event in the book is when Atticus accepts to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell; however, he is disfavored against by the town due to his race. In the book, Atticus says, “...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’...” (Lee 117).