This causes Atticus to gain respect throughout the town of Maycomb, by both black and white residents, before and after Tom Robinson’s trial takes place. To begin with, the white people in Maycomb respect Atticus because of his dedication and commitment. Correspondingly, Jem is reading the paper one morning when Scout comes up behind him to see if there is anything interesting. “We were surprised one morning to see a cartoon in the Montgomery Advertiser above the caption, ‘Maycomb’s Finch.’ It showed Atticus barefooted and in short pants, chained to a desk: he was diligently writing on a slate while some frivolous-looking girls yelled, ‘Yoo-hoo!’ at him. ‘That’s a compliment,’ explained Jem.
After the trial “Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he’d get him if it took the rest of his life” (217). Bob Ewell stopping Atticus and stating his enmity against him as a direct reaction to the conclusion of the trial is an example of Lee, using prose to get the
"There 's nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who 'll take advantage of a Negro 's ignorance. Don 't fool yourselves—it 's all adding up and one of these days we 're going to pay the bill for it. I hope it 's not in you children 's time." (23.40) Atticus is putting his own race down because he knows that almost every white man in Maycomb is racist. He doesn 't want his kids to
Dubose’s insults to Atticus, Atticus tells him, “You just hold your head high and be a gentleman.”(Lee 133) This event demonstrates Atticus’s courtesy because even though Ms. Dubose was insulting him and his children, Atticus showed his courteous nature and remained a gentleman. Another situation which shows Atticus being courteous is when he goes to tell Helen Robinson about her husband’s death. When Atticus arrives at her house, he notices a small, female child attempting, unsuccessfully, to climb down the stairs. Being the gentleman that he is, Atticus removed his hat and offered his finger and helped the child down the stairs. This shows Atticus being courteous even in a private situation.
Strangely enough, Atticus was also able to see the good in Mayella Ewell, and it tore him apart having to destroy her testimony on the stand. In chapter eighteen Scout says, “Atticus hit her hard in a way that was not clear to me, but it gave him no pleasure to do so. He sat with his head down..”(Lee 252). When Atticus had to defend Tom he also had to show the jury that Mayella was speaking lies which made him upset to do so. He knew Mayella was a victim in the situation too and did not want to hurt her more than Bob Ewell already did.
He knew that exposing him would be an awful way of repaying him; it would have been like "shooting a mockingbird." So, Atticus chose to protect Boo from the public eye rather than abide by the law and his "honest" ways he was so accustomed to follow.
In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, defends an innocent black man named Tom Robinson. Mayella Ewell accused Tom of raping and beating her. There is significant evidence proving his innocence. But, the jury convicts him as guilty. This trial troubles the main character, Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill.
'-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it’” (Lee loc 492). Throughout the novel, Atticus was the only one who never resorted to prejudiced judgments. His knowledge in the words he tells Scout shows how he believes prejudice against outsiders is a terrible thing, and that everyone should treat everyone with
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird empathy plays a big role in the character’s lives. People’s ability to understand empathy determines their quality of life. When empathy is used correctly and in the right way, it can make a huge positive impact on someone’s life. Empathy is something that people gain as they lose their childhood innocence, but that doesn’t mean that they will be able to use it to help people. As the main character, Scout, gets older she starts to lose her innocence and gain empathy, but she doesn’t quite get the concept.
Atticus is treated poorly because the actions he chooses to take go against the cultural norms of his society. Atticus fights for justice and tries to serve as a role model for his children even when he is