Integrity is the quality of being sincere and having powerful high-minded principles. Integrity is shown in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, a book that took place in Maycomb County, Alabama where racism was profoundly entrenched. Atticus Finch, a character in the book, is a lawyer who is assigned the case of Tom Robinson, an African-American, who was unjustifiably accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Arthur “Boo” Radley, his neighbor, is a mysterious person in the beginning of the book but ends up revealing his kindness. His children, Scout and Jem Finch, are following their father’s word of wisdom and learning about integrity throughout their experiences on the way. The amount of integrity can dictate someone’s reputation. Boo Radley revealed his kindness in an unpredicted manner. Scout and Jem were being attacked by Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father, and Boo ended up killing Bob. Boo doesn’t know the outcome of killing Bob but, however, he did the virtuous feat. In addition, Boo hasn’t had contact with anybody for many years, so, for him to save the kids must have taken a lot of courage. Atticus said, “Thank you for my children, Arthur” (370). From this point and on, Atticus views Boo in a differently way due to the fact that Boo saved …show more content…
Atticus decides to take the case in defending a black person, something nobody in the town would have done. Most of the residents of Maycomb do not believe in equality and have hatred towards black people. If an African-American is charged for committing a crime, he is automatically believed to be guilty because of their skin color. Atticus says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (39). To clarify, Atticus took the case because he believes there is a chance of Tom being innocent. Atticus is a person of integrity and he always cares for
He always got the cold shoulder from everyone around because he didn’t fit the mold for the perfect citizen. Boo even helped Scout and Jem by murdering Bob Ewell, because in the long run, he knew it was better for everyone in Maycomb, even though it could have landed him in jail. Instinctively, Boo knew that he needed to protect the Finch children no matter what that takes, and it was “Autumn again, and Boo’s children needed him” (374). Boo stepped up, went outside his own boundaries, and killed the one who wanted to hurt his children. Most would most definitely consider murder to be wrong, but in the case of saving two children, Boo risked eternity in jail for what
The children feel it was unfair, but then again they are naïve to the racism. Atticus appears unmoved at the verdict. Atticus, a lawyer at Maycomb, supports Tom Robinson and feels as if he is innocent. Taking on the job to help defend Tom was an act of courage, seeing how everyone else was so opposed to this man because he was black. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.
We live in a society today where judging others is a regular, everyday activity. Many people may blame a significant amount of this issue on the excessive amount of technology we have access too, but this problem has been around for much longer. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, it shows the ugliness that can come from judging others, but it also teaches two young children, Scout and Jem, to listen to others, so that you can have the opportunity to learn from them. Throughout the story many characters were able to demonstrate this lesson for the kids, but three that were true examples of it were Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch and Boo Radley. With only aiming to stand up for what they believe in and not worrying what everyone
Our whole lives growing up we are told to follow the “Golden Rule”. This rule is defined as to treat someone the way you want to be treated. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch a lawyer in a town called Maycomb in Alabama tries his best to be a role model for his two children. In the quiet town of Maycomb Atticus is given the job to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Atticus wants to teach his kids Jem and Scout life lessons at an early age so they grow up as respectable 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
If not for the major characters, the minor characters have played an equally important role in Maycomb with their contrasting views. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is mainly about Jem and Scout growing up under the difficult situations created in Alabama during The Great Depression. Stereotypes and discrimination are major problems in Maycomb. Scout and Jem Finch are raised by Atticus, with the help of Calpurnia, their maid. In the first part of the book, Scout, Jem and Dill are fascinated by Boo Radley because of the rumors they hear about him, and they try everything to make him come out of his house.
However almost everyday Jem finds toys or random objects in the tree out front of the Radleys house. This gives Jem the idea that Boo isn 't some horrible monster after all. “Atticus believes Jem killed Ewell in self-defense, but Tate makes him realize that Boo Radley actually stabbed Ewell and saved both children 's lives.”(lee 28) This quote shows that the children had been put in a situation where the so-called “monster” Boo Radley saved their lives and they now could look at him not as some maniac but a hero and regular person who stays inside to protect himself from the stereotypes and cruelty of the world because of something people had said and that had been spread throughout the
A person cannot call themselves a noble person if they can’t understand others. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is told in first person by Jean Louise Finch or by her nickname, Scout a 6-year-old. Harper Lee, depicts Atticus Finch as a proficient father to his two children, Scout and Jim, 10-year-old. Atticus teaches his children life lessons, one being it 's a sin to kill a mockingbird.
“They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 119). This quote shows why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. The mockingbird is a central idea shown by characters throughout the book, here’s why… The book is set in the small town of Maycomb, where there are a lot of prejudice and mean people.
Why did Atticus defend a black man? Justice and being given the chance of a fair trial. Atticus Finch believed that everyone, black or white should be given the chance, to be proven not guilty. Even though some people thought Atticus was wrong in defending Tom Robinson, Atticus knew it was right to defend Tom because he knew everyone deserved a fair trial.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Arthur aka Boo Radley is a mockingbird because he is a kind recluded person getting harassed by everyone because he’s different but he’s really just a nice person, shy and even protected Jem and Scout from their attacker showing his courage. To begin with, Boo is nice because he gave many things to Scout and Jem through the knothole till his brother Nathan clogged it up with cement because it was “dying” as Scout and Jem thought but really isn’t much proof. “We were walking past our tree. In its knot-hole rested a ball of gray twine”(59) after a bit of talking Jem convinced Scout not to take it yet and leave it waiting to see if someone like Walter Cunningham would take it back. “We went back home.
After witnessing Jem, Scout, and Dill acting out his rumored “life story”, I infer that it must have been very weird and uncomfortable for Boo to be so close to “his children” when they were the ones who supposedly made fun of him. Emotionally he is struggling because he is overwhelmed by the fact that he is always a hot topic of the town, and the trio acting his story out didn’t make him feel any better. In the poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou the last stanza is written “The caged bird sings/ with a fearful trill/ of things unknown/ but longed for still/and his tune is heard/ on the distant hill/ for the caged bird/sings of freedom.” Boo Radley
In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee shows that we shouldn’t be too quick to judge another person’s character based on outward appearance and the stories and rumors we have heard. The character Boo Radley is a perfect example of why we shouldn’t be hasty to judge. On the outside, Boo looks like a scary neighbor that lives just a few houses away. “.....he had sickly white hands that had never seen the sun. His face was as white as his hands…..”
At this point, Boo was thought of as a watchful protector and a true neighbor to the children. As with all relationships, this one changed many different times throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. Boo went from being the children’s biggest fear to their biggest hero. At the end of the novel, the kids not only admired Boo, but also were thankful for him.
Boo displays protection towards the children (Jem and Scout) a couple of times throughout the story. In the beginning, when Jem, Scout, and Dill went Hunter 2 onto Boo’s property he shows protection by not telling Atticus or anybody else that he knew that it was Jem and Scout who were on his lawn. Boo then stitches Jem’s pants that got ripped off when he was crawling under the fence and he leaves them out for Jem to retrieve them. He protected the children from getting in huge trouble from Atticus and he protected their reputation because the entire town would hear about how they intruded and that would look bad on Jem and Scout. Boo also protects