Atticus Quotes

To Kill a Mockingbird has many excellent characters that readers incline to either love or hate them. Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, is the primary example the former. He has a nearly impeccable character. No matter the situation, whether at home with his kids, or in the courtroom, he reflects Christ is all he does. Atticus’s honor, wisdom, and ability to show courtesy in any circumstances are a main theme of To Kill a Mockingbird.

“Remember that it’s a sin to kill a mocking bird.” (103). This quote from Atticus shows perfectly the honor that he has; he would never harm something that has done nothing to deserve it. He always does what he believes to be the correct or right thing, not caring about the consequences. The most obvious example of this is in his deciding to defend Tom Robinson, a falsely accused Negro man. While others hid from what was right because of how it may make them look, Atticus stood firm with the man he knew had committed no wrong. The thing that concerned him the most was that justice would be served, not whether he would have anything to gain from it. In this way, Atticus reflects Jesus throughout the entire book.

In this quote, and in the rest of the book, he shows the wisdom he possesses. At his home, he deals with conflicts with his children extraordinarily well. When Scout and Jem have a disagreement, he first listens to both sides, then deals with it however he deems proper. He also deals with his children very gently and not harshly. He knows where to draw the line to stop them, but he does not keep them from simply acting like children – since that is exactly what they are. In this area, and others, Atticus always makes wise, Christlike,