What Role Does Atticus Play In To Kill A Mockingbird

Throughout the novel To Kill a MockingBird Atticus proves his greatness as a father by teaching his children life lessons through everyday actions. In the novel, Scout and Jem go through many rocky bumps in their life, and with Atticus they receive a stable role model to lead them through harder times. Atticus being a lawyer could have made him into a very serious busy man who could have paid little to no attention to his young children. But being a lawyer helped mold Atticus and his children into well rounded and educated people. By the end of the novel Atticus has changed his children into disciplined and reasonable human beings.

Jean Louise Finch ‘Scout’ is a headstrong young girl who narrates the novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, set in the fictitious County Maycomb over the span of three years. She is often found sporting dirty overalls or breeches and possesses a rather tomboyish personality, much to her aunt’s dismay. It says, “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire... When I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.”(Page 90)

"Jem, I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It 's when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." This insightful statement was told by Atticus Finch to his son, Jem Finch. Many people in Maycomb had to deal with racism, hatred, and discrimination because of their skin color or because of the court case. Most of them, if not all, showed true courage by standing up for what they believe in and keeping their heads up high. Harper Lee uses many scenes and key characters to develop the theme of real courage for instance, Jem, Atticus, and Miss Maudie go through a journey to discover, understand and to show that real courage is mental courage in the face of physical and emotional torment.

Personal values and morals are instilled into children by their parents . Jem and Scout Finch, characters from Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, are open minded, educated, young children that have a father named Atticus Finch who tries to teach his children to have sound morals and personal values . The children have not been sheltered from life's hardships due to their father Atticus's views on parenting instead they have learned right from wrong. Atticus Finch believes that not sheltering his kids from the world allows them to form strong morals and values. Atticus Finch does what he believes will help make his children into strong citizens with outstanding values and morals.

Atticus allows his kids to watch the trial of Tom Robinson. For example, “Tell you what, you all can come back when you’ve eaten your supper-eat slowly, now, you won’t miss anything important--ant if the jury’s still out, you can wait with us” (Lee p. 277). Atticus permits his kids go wherever they want and whenever they want. For instance, “Yes, said our father, when Jem asked him if we could go over and sit by Miss Rachel’s fishpool with Dill, as it was last night in Maycomb” (Lee p. 67). Scout does not usually get in trouble with her father. Even after an incident at the school where she fought with another kid, Atticus easily forgave her. An illustration of this would be when he said,”Try fighting with your head for a change….. it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning” (Lee p. 101). While Atticus is easy going, he does like to put in a couple of lessons in like,”The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this country in legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (Lee p. 100). In this, Atticus was explaining to Scout why she should not fight people just because they said that he was a “nigger lover.” In conclusion, Atticus is a little easier going on his kids, but he always tries to makes a lesson out of

“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by the author Harper Lee is about a tired little town in Alabama called Maycomb set back in the 1930’s. Atticus, father of Jem and Scout is the same man on the street than he is at home. He is very respectful and honest. Atticus gets appointed to defend Tom Robinson, an African American man who got accused by Bob Ewell for raping his daughter, Mayella. Even though there are several pieces of evidence that show Tom is innocent Atticus knows he will not win, but that is no reason for him not to try. It makes sense for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson because he believes in the Golden Rule and he has integrity.

Tom Robinson was a black man convicted of rape at a time when the Jim Crow laws were at their most potent, thus there was a large power divide between the white population and the black one. Since the jury was composed of all white men the odds facing Atticus’s success in this case where astronomical. However, Atticus chooses to take the case. In taking the case alone Atticus demonstrates great social courage, for social courage is when you persevere to the end of a task despite social adversity and pushback. This pushback is shown by multiple instances in which Jem and Scout are made fun of for their father is a “n****r lover”. Secondly, Atticus knows he is going to lose the case for he knows that the moral character of Maycomb is not high enough to be able to see true innocence on account of evidence. This realization did not deter him, for he believed that “the one place a man should get a square deal is in a courtroom” (295). Thus he delivered on behalf of his morals and completed the case. This again shows moral courage, for Atticus knew that he if he forfeited his defense of Tom Robinson the ridicule would stop. However, if he did so then an innocent man would die with no chance of

In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus believes Maycomb is unjust because the town is inconsiderate of other people’s view, which is shown when Atticus gets targeted for defending a black man, worries that his kids will become bitter and catch Maycomb’s disease, and Aunt Alexandra advising Atticus that he is raising his kids wrong. To begin with, Mrs Dubose addresses to Scout and her family about how Atticus is disgracing his race and his color by defending Tom Robinson on the alleged rape case. Mrs Dubose says, “Your father’s no better than the ni**ers and trash he works for” (135). Atticus views Maycomb as an injustice town because during this time period black people were seen as a lower class. Atticus is mark as an overall victim because in the trial the county is shocked that Atticus is

Killing a mockingbird is a sin in many cultures because of the animal’s innocent nature; in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird she immaculately illustrates this. To Kill a Mockingbird is about the Finch family, which consists of: Scout (Jean), Atticus, Calpurnia, and Aunt Alexandra. They reside in the modest town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. The father of the family, Atticus, is defending a colored person, Tom Robinson, in a court case regarding rape. In turn, this affects Atticus’ children, Scout and Jem, negatively. Because of Atticus’ choice to defend Tom Robinson the family and himself is put in harm 's way and harassed. Additionally, it damages the family’s and his reputation.

1. Scout and Jem found two pieces of gum, a gold watch, soap figures of them, twine, and two coins.

Not to mention, he takes the case without outwardly pleading it is a hopeless cause. To show, Atticus defends Tom Robinson as he would defend any white man, and makes it his civil duty to do this man right. Coupled with Atticus’s personal beliefs, he never shows regret in his obligation to Tom Robinson and his family. In another instance, Atticus respected these citizens even before the case. Though the residents of Maycomb did not agree with him, Atticus stuck to his belief all men are created equal. Equally important, he never frowned upon them, or disgraced their ways. While speaking to his children, Atticus conveys this, “Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man” (Lee 139). As a result, he displays to his children that he is not a coward and will not back away from a challenge, even if it means his reputation may taper as the trial advances. Correspondingly, the African American populous makes known that they are appreciative of Atticus’s intentions to free Tom of his accusation. During the trial, the members of the African American public watched Atticus vividly defend their friend as if color was no

Atticus’ fairness displays he is a good parent because he considers that everyone deserves a chance to be understood and have motives for their actions. After disclosing the news to his son and daughter of Tom’s death, Atticus says, “Depends on how you look at it. What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He wasn’t Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner” (Lee 235). Atticus always attempts to place himself in other people’s places in order to give everyone a chance of being understood. He still speaks highly of the people who killed Tom Robinson an

Jem and Scout are facing many social consequences because Atticus is representing Tom Robinson. Other children at school and sometimes even their own neighbors are calling their father offensive names and speaking poorly of him. As a result, Jem and Scout sometimes go to extreme lengths to defend Atticus and his name. Scout got into multiple fights with her classmates because they taunted her father, which allows the readers to assume that Scout does not react to the taunting and teasing really well. Jem, on the other hand, has a higher tolerance level and is able to resist doing anything uncalled for when someone rudely insults Atticus. This shows that Jem reacts better to the taunting and teasing better than Scout, however, Jem lost his control when Mrs. Dubose called his father rude names in front of him and his sibling. He eventually cuts up and destroys the bushes loitering in her front yard when he passes her house on his way back home. Atticus punishes the two of them and tells his children that it is not necessary to

Scout and Jem are very innocent and do not understand racism very well. Atticus has an unusual relationship with his kids. He cares very much for them and their moral upbringings, but he treats them like adults and is a very hands-off parent. Atticus has a black maid, Calpurnia who he considers family that helps take care of Scout and Jem. Despite the absence of their mother, Scout and Jem were raised to regard woman as equal, which is why Calpurnia is like a mother to them. Scout is much more innocent then Jem and therefore asks a lot more questions about Tom and black people in general. Atticus answers them like he would if he was talking to an adult. Scout and Jem have strong respect for Atticus, because in their eyes they see Atticus as a hero, because he puts his life on the line to defend Tom Robinson while Atticus just see's himself as doing what any moral person would