While Scout faced internal fear with Boo Radley near the start of the book, her father, Atticus Finch, faced external conflict in his suspenseful trial and task of defending Tom Robinson for a crime he did not commit. Atticus faced many problems against Bob Ewell. Although, Atticus never faced any physical problems with the man as he took a more peaceful approach to his conflict. After Tom’s trial, Ewell approached Atticus and spat in his face. Although, he did not react in any physical way. Later after the event, Atticus explained to his son, “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with” (Lee, 218). The conflict between these two men had primarily
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
fortunate”(292). Although he is white, Atticus demonstrates how one can understand someone, regardless of color. Instead of just being Tom Robinson’s lawyer, Atticus chooses to defend this man;however, since it is made known that Atticus is doing so, the town of Maycomb reacts with negativity. For example, he is insulted numerous times by the people of Maycomb.” Your father’s no better than the n****** and trash he works for”(Lee 135). African-americans are thought of lowly because of their color ,and in this commentary, made by Miss Dubose, Atticus is thought of at a lower level because he is defending Tom Robinson. Even Mrs. Merriweather insults Atticus in his own home at one of the missionary tea gatherings. “I tell you there are some
1. Though there is an incredible amount of important characters in the novel, to me, the most significant character in Part 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus Finch. His actions and treatment towards everyone and everything caused me think the most in comparison to the other characters. For instance, Atticus makes an important decision to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, in trial during Chapter 9, thus leading to harassment towards his family not only from school, but even from their own neighbor and a relative. While his actions put him and his family in trouble, Atticus still stands firm in his beliefs. He also demonstrates his defense for not only people, but for animals too. In Chapter 10, Atticus is shown to be reluctant to shoot a disease-ridden dog, as it is implied he believes he would not shoot any living things until he had too, thus showing respect for animals and living things
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Chapter 3) You never really understand what Atticus, a white father with a creditable job as a lawyer but defends for the black, was trying to teach his children if you are not trying hard to play his role in the novel. Widespread poverty, as it was during the Great Depression, had brought neither good nor wealthy life to people in old Maycomb. It could be no less normal than any other town during that dark period of time — racial discrimination, class division, gender roles, prejudice, none of them were left. Jem and Scout, whom in the novel represent for the innocence of youngsters, have grown up
"Courage is when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee 's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel.
“I guess rumors are more exciting than the truth.”-Venus Williams. People spread rumors because they feel that it will interest them more than the truth. In some ways, creating rumors can give people a reason to for them to believe that something is more flared than what the actual truth is. In other words, this means that people elaborate and stretch the actual truth in a situation, rather than believing the astounding truth. Often times, this helps people compress the unknown, and fill in the gaps to the clues that don’t make sense. Not understanding the unknown is hard, and leads to people jumping to conclusions when they don 't even know exactly what happened. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, rumors spread throughout the town creating stereotypes and changing many people’s once honorable reputation and unfairly forcing them to alter their way of life forever.
Despite race discrimination around the world, there are still people who overcome and persevere through these challenges - often at great risk to themselves. During the 1930s, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, a small town called Maycomb held a trial against an innocent African American man accused of raping a Caucasian woman. The reader experiences life in Maycomb through the eyes of ten year old girl name Jean-Louise Finch, Scout. In this case, Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, was assigned to be the lawyer for the accused, Tom Robinson. However, Atticus has integrity and tries his best for Tom even if his own life is at risk. It makes sense for Atticus to take a stand to defend Tom Robinson because that was who Atticus was,
This quote relates to morality because it portrays how society was like several years ago. Morality is the ability to decipher what’s right and wrong to establish the truth. For instance, racism took a huge part in the county as many white citizens bestride over the negroes to show power. During the case with Tom Robinson, Atticus was able to provide substantial evidence to prove that Tom Robinson was not guilty regardless of what the other witnesses had said. However, since the jury consisted primarily of white race, the final verdict was announced as guilty. This shows how even though it was obvious that Tom would’ve won the case, it isn’t fair that they determined this by categorizing their race. It shows morality when Atticus acknowledges the fact that they are living in a racist world where the innocent could potentially be punished for an act that they did not commit to.
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.
In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout and Jem Finch live in the small town known as Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Over time, Scout learns about the town’s true identity. She and Jem are forced to work for Mrs. Dubose, an old woman who seems to hate children. Accompanying this, Scout and Jem are stuck fearing the lunatic who only comes out from his rickety old home at night, Boo Radley. Atticus Finch, Jem and Scout’s father, was appointed as a lawyer to help defend Tom Robinson, a struggling black man who was framed for abusing Mayella Ewell. Mayella Ewell is teenage girl who is actually abused by her drunk father, Bob Ewell. Along with these characters are Dolphus Raymond, the man who everybody believes is drunk but is really just hiding from judgement because he likes the presence of black people, and Dill, Jem and Scout’s friend who accompanies the two on their adventures.
Race has always been a part of history, from slavery to MLK, to Barack Obama. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee defines race in the south during the 1930’s. Jean “Scout” Finch, is the narrator of the story. Her brother Jeremy “Jem” and her dad, Atticus, are both main characters. Calpurnia is their house cook and helper, she is also black. Tom Robinson is a black man who is wrongfully convicted of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. This novel goes through Scout's life from when she was 6, till she is 9. She lives in the town of Maycomb Alabama, and lives an innocent life until about halfway through the story, where she begins to ask questions. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout shows the readers that racial inequality creates an unjust society through the African American community, through the people surrounding colored folks, and through Tom Robinson’s Case.
The Narrator, named Scout, and her older brother, Jem, both live in a home with their old fashioned father Atticus Finch. Mr. Finch, a respectable lawyer, took on a case of a black man, Tom Robinson. Mr. Robinson was charged of rape to young Mayella Ewell, a girl who lives
Harper Lee touches upon many social issues in To Kill a Mockingbird. Among these issues is the matter of racism in America during the 1930s. This novel focused on the issue of racism through the case of Tom Robinson which conveyed the strong hostility towards African-Americans in Maycomb, Alabama. Other various occasions in the novel exhibit racism’s potential and influence in this country including Aunt Alexandra's disapproval of Calpurnia, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s hidden life. Through the results of these instances, Harper Lee shed a new light on racism and how it will always persist in America.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an extremely important book to read and applies to both the 1950s, when it was written, and the 21st century, where we forget the struggles our grandparents went through to end racial discrimination. Jean Louis Finch (known as Scout throughout the story) lives in the sleepy