Atticus Finch: Modern Day Hero

Atticus Finch is in many ways the pivotal character of To Kill a Mockingbird. Although Scout narrates, Atticus is the person who drives the story forward, giving the story multidimensional color. On the most superficial dimension, Atticus defends a man falsely accused in the courtroom, and cares for the needs of his family after he dies in an escape attempt. At another dimension, he wins the respect of his children by doing so. Even deeper, we see that he also started to soften peoples’ hearts to the plight of the black people in the community, and won the admiration of the black community. The actions of Atticus Finch show him to be a sympathetic, sensitive, and conscientious man.

Every day in our lives, heroes are all around us. They may not be what society tells us is a hero, like Superman or Batman. They do not wear fancy costumes or have super powers. But these heroes change the lives of the people around them, for the better. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is the charismatic, understanding father of Scout and Jem Finch as well as a hard working lawyer in Maycomb County, Alabama. 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.

Heroes are not invincible, and certainly are not the ones who always win; however, a hero is someone who, despite this, is courageous enough to fight for what is right. Atticus Finch, one of the most inspiring literary characters from the highly acclaimed novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is an example of such. This classic novel is told from the perspective of Scout Finch, Atticus’ daughter, a young girl who lives in the town of Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1930s, a town where prejudice and discrimination is rife. Rather than succumbing to societal expectations and adopting the extreme animosity held by the other citizens, Atticus views and treats all with the dignity and respect that they are entitled to, guiding his

In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird there are some very courageous characters. The most courageous would be Atticus Finch. Atticus is one of the main characters in the book. He is the father of the narrator. He is also one of the best lawyers is the county.

A court is only as a sound as it jury, and a jury is only as a sound as the men who make it up….” (Lee 274). This quote explains a reason, Atticus did help a black man in front of many. If he did not want things to be equal, then why he would help him in the first place. Another example Atticus said, “A nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don 't mean anything—like

But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men”(273).Over and over in the novel Atticus shows that he believes that everyone is equal no matter the color of one’s skin. By saying this Atticus rubs off this open mindedness onto his children which, makes them into great people like Atticus

He’ll arise in front of everyone and confront them even if he knows that the chance of winning is minor. The accusation of Tom Robinson’s rape was incorrect, however, it was a black’s voice against a white’s. Atticus went several times for Tom’s rescue despite the consequences, Atticus states “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep.” Atticus will try everything he can to protect the unfortunate man, Tom Robinson, but the whites are believed to have more privileges in the community.

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird famously said in his closing arguments: "You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some negro men are not to be trusted around women- black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and no particular race of men." (pg 232) What Atticus is trying to convey is a foreign concept to most people in Maycomb county. Atticus is trying to convey a point of equality and no prejudice in a world of social inequality which, as one can imagine, didn 't go over so well.

Hanna Clasen Mr. Flanagan AP English 11 February 28, 2017 Atticus Finch Life in the 1930s was hard for most people. In the South, it can be considered a time of racial segregation and injustice. However, in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch presents himself as a compassionate, wise, and courageous individual, making him an admirable leader in Maycomb County. Atticus is a man who is not affected by what other people say or think about him.

Mr. Finch justly argues the innocence of Tom even though most of the townspeople would convict a black man regardless of the evidence. Risking almost everything for the Tom Robinson trial, Atticus keeps his composure and bravely finishes the case even though he knows there is no hope. In fact, Atticus exhibits calmness, courage, and justice as he works and lives with the people of Maycomb. First, Atticus is a calm person.

One always seeks to be equal with everyone, no matter who they are, but some people make others feel inferior. When a rich white man compares himself to a poor white man or a white man to a black man and one will assume they’re better. Primarily, the day after the trial Mr. Ewell confronts Atticus and spits in his face, and says, “Too proud to fight, you n~-lovin’ b~” (291)? Atticus could have responded in an impudent manner, but he decided on deserting the situation. This shows even people of the same color treat the other person as if they were an animal.

But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men” (Lee 273). In saying this, Atticus tries to convince the audience and jury that everyone is capable of making mistakes, and differences in appearance does not mean that groups of people are superior to others. From this, the jury feels as if they have been mistreating Tom.

Through the use of racism, Harper Lee proves that Atticus’s belief of “in our court’s all men are created equal,” is demonstrated to be incorrect. In the novel,

Atticus Finch was selected as the greatest movie hero by the American Film Institute ahead of many characters whom we more often recognize as “traditional” heroes because in the movie he was one of the few white people that supported blacks. Back then, many people didn’t treat black people well and since, Atticus stood up for Tom, a black man he is known to be a hero even though he didn’t win the case. He was selected amongst many characters because he did a brave thing….Atticus Finch is heroic because he didn’t care what other people thought about him and he defended a black man, named Tom for being accused of hurting a girl. Atticus knew he didn’t have much chance of winning the case because the jury was white, but he still tried to help

As shown, America had a serious case of racial inequality. To the point where a white man always won over a black man, no matter the case. The Caucasians felt superior over the Africans, and because they were so different, they felt the blacks were not even human. The following words are quoted from Atticus’s speech to the jury. “…evil assumption—that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…”