Family In To Kill A Mockingbird

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. This saying is true in many cases and happens to be true in To Kill A Mockingbird. Throughout the book you see children of certain characters start to grow up and act like their father. This essay will be looking at three families in To Kill A Mockingbird, the Finches, the Cunninghams, and the Ewells. These three families are key examples that a father’s influence has a significant impact on the character of his children.

Atticus is a morally upright person who teaches his kids a number of important life lessons and leads by example. In Chapter 3, of To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus shows an interest in Scouts feelings as he is quick to notice that something is bothering her. Scout tells Atticus of her

His son, Walter Jr., shares his father’s ethical disposition. In Chapter 2, Walter Cunningham Jr. refuses to accept a quarter from Miss Caroline for lunch as Cunninghams never take anything they can not pay back. Scout tells Miss Caroline, "The Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay back—no church baskets, no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along on what they have. They don't have much, but they get along on it" (Lee 26). Unlike Atticus the well-off lawyer, Walter Cunningham is a poor farmer who struggles to make ends meet. Walter Cunningham needs his son to help him run the farm, which makes Walter Jr. not focus on his studies. Although Walter Jr. is not “book smart,” he is a good worker, which he most likely learned from his father. Walter Jr. tells Atticus, "Reason I can't pass the first grade, Mr. Finch, is I've had to stay out ever' spring an' help Papa with the choppin’" (Lee

Later on in the chapter, Atticus tells Scout how Bob’s alcoholism affects his family negatively. Atticus says, " it's certainly bad, but when a man spends his relief checks on green whiskey his children have a way of crying from hunger pains" (Lee 41). This shows how Bob only cares about himself as he would rather spend his checks on him than an essential need for his kids. In Chapter 19, Tom Robinson is on the witness stand and tells the court that Mayella brought him to her room and kissed him on the cheek. Tom also says that Mayella told him that she has never kissed a grown man before. Tom comments, "She says what her papa do to her don't count" (Lee 260). Tom’s testimony suggests that Bob Ewell sexually assaults his daughter, which is disgusting and possibly the worst thing a parent can do to their