A True Father “Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself” (Lee 6). Atticus Finch demonstrates his affection towards his children during the book. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a historical novel set in the Great Depression. The main course of the story is based on inequality by the race of a person. Tom Robinson, a black man, is blamed of rape by a white man. Tom is proven to be innocent by Atticus but the jury claimed he was guilty. The jury could not take the word of a black man against a white man. The trial is a life changing experience for Atticus. It has a great effect on the Finch Family. The trial helped test how well of a father he is. Throughout the story, Atticus demonstrates that …show more content…
“ ‘You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease’ ” (Lee 117). He does not want his children to be harmed during his case or take blame for his actions. He knows that most of Maycomb strongly dislikes black people. They do not believe that it is correct for a white man to defend a black man. Atticus does not want his children disliking anyone because of the race. He cares about them living a normal life without racism. “ ‘Call Dr. Reynolds! Atticus’s voice came sharply from Jem’s room. ‘Where’s Scout?’ ” (Lee 353).Atticus shows that he cares about his children when they get attacked. He immediately calls for a doctor and an officer. He made sure that Scout and Jem were both well and safe. Then, Atticus wanted to know who wanted to harm his children. Heck Tate soon revealed the news that Bob Ewell was stabbed with a kitchen knife. He never thought that his children were going to be Bob Ewell’s target. Overall, Atticus has shown he is a caring …show more content…
“ ‘I don’t have to go to school… Burris Ewell, remember? He goes to school the first day. The truant lady reckons she’s carries out the law when she gets his name on the roll…You can’t do that…Sometimes it’s better tobend the law a little in special cases. In your case, the law remains rigid.’ ” (Lee 40). Scout no longer wants to go to school because of the bad experiences she spent on the first day. She believes that she does not have to go to school because others do not go. Atticus wants her to go to school, so he makes a compromise with her. He promised to read the newspaper without the knowledge of her teacher in exchange of going to school. He wants his children to have a recorded education even though she is ahead of everyone in the class. Atticus did not go to school when he was a child but was taught by his parents. He is not able to spend much time with his children, but he wants his children to get a good education. Jem and Scout appreciate the time they spend with their father. “What Mr. Radley did was his own business. If he wanted to come out, he would. If he wanted to stay inside his own house he had the right to stay inside free from the attentions of inquisitive children…What Mr. Radley did might seem peculiar to us, but it did not seem peculiar to him” (Lee 64). Atticus teaches his children to mind their own business. He did not want his children getting involved in the lives of others without authorization. He
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that was prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others.
Atticus’s children are in confusion and constantly ask their father about his case. Atticus said”. If I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature. i.e. a.75. Clearly we can see that he has lots of respect for this county and for blacks.
Although Atticus is not like every other parent, he shows his love to his kids in his own ways. He does not need to be kissing them, hugging them or buying them things to show his affection for them. His ways are unique ways that show that Atticus is a positive parental figure. Another good piece of evidence that shows that Atticus is a positive parental figure is that he sets a good example for the children. He sets a good example by being honest and telling them why he has to defend Tom Robinson even if that decision jeopardizes his reputation and the family. When Atticus was talking to Scout about defending Tom he said, “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (100). These words show that Atticus values equality and justice and it is setting an excellent example for the kids to follow at such a young age. Atticus defends Tom Robinson, an African American man, because he believes in equality for all. Atticus also mentioned that before he tells the children to do something or follow values he, Atticus, must display them first, and he
“ ‘Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred credibility at the trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of a comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating that's something i'll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and i’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand ’” (23.15) Atticus Finch had exposed the bad men in the community to his children but selflessly found room to feel sorry for Bob because of how he treats his children. The children were able to learn from Atticus by being able to understand what was being said but realize that not everyone is as fortunate as them and don't always have the moral understand like Atticus has taught them 'Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside.'" Page 227. Jem had recognized that not everyone can cope with the world they live in, being all caught up in hate, racism and distrust that it's better for people like that to stay inside, away from the horrid things of the world which is society. Adults are capable of judging and and not forgiving
Atticus is a good father for teaching his children to respect everyone. Scout asks Atticus if he is a “nigger lover” and he simply replies, "I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes—baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you." This shows that atticus is not like the other people in Maycomb he considers every man to be equal to one another. Judge Taylor comes to Atticus to defend Tom Robinson because he knows he’s the only man in Maycomb that is fit to do to the job, and do it fairly. While thinking about taking the offer Atticus firsts thinks about his kids and how it will affect their lives. Atticus says “…do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anythin...
The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It is set in the 1930s, a time when racism was very prominent. Harper Lee emphasizes the themes of prejudice and tolerance in her novel through the use of her characters and their interactions within the Maycomb community. The narrator of the story, Scout, comes across many people and situations with prejudice and tolerance, as her father defends a black man.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a book that tells about the troubles and thrills of two kids, Scout and Jem, set in a made-up town called Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. The story is told through the eyes of a young girl named Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, and her brother Jem. The book tells about all the adventures they have had growing up in Maycomb and the people they have met. Probably the most impactful of those characters though was their father, Atticus.
Small actions like these help demonstrate how being yourself should be embraced, in order for somebody to grow. You can only grow and learn when you're being yourself, and Atticus shows his kids this everyday. The type of man that Atticus choses to be is kind and helpful. When he was the lawyer for Tom Robinson, he was told that “Tom Robinson was a dead man the second Mayella Ewell opened her mouth,” and that Atticus had no chance of proving him not guilty. But, Atticus took the case anyways to try and help Tom Robinson.
We learn how important it is to Atticus for his children to be educated. We see how he teaches them to read and write at an early age. “As it is in a black man’s account of slavery, reading and writing are major themes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Reading is first introduced with Dill’s announcement that he can read, and Jem’s counter boast that his sister, Scout, has been reading for years” (Telgen 301). Atticus reads to the children from newspapers and magazines as if they are adults who can understand issues at his level. By the time Scout attends her first day of school, she is highly literate, far surpassing the other children in the classroom and frustrating her teacher whose task it is to teach her students according to a predetermined plan. It soon becomes clear why Atticus thinks education is so important. During his closing arguments, Atticus explicitly acknowledges the ignorance blinding people's minds and hearts:
... that complete the story of the children and the Tom Robinson trial. Although he was a flat character, he helped some of the other characters come alive. A large fragment of the meaning of this novel was growing up and maturing. Atticus nurtured the children and overall created a perfect example for them to grow up watching. In the time of this book, segregation was a big part of life in Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus, being a lawyer was in the middle of the fight between blacks and whites. Although the controversy was intense, Atticus understood the perspective of the Negroes and understood the struggle of living in Alabama at that time. When Atticus is appointed to defend Tom, he was blind as to what events would occur. Overall he was calm when people condemned him. The character of Atticus was an essential part of the novel and the lives of the people in the novel.
Atticus is a great leader of his family, teaching his children morals and life lessons. He makes them better people by showing them how to deal with the trial and people making fun of them. Atticus teaches Scout how to respect other people. First, Scout learns to respect Atticus, then to respect "Boo" Radley, and finally to respect a whole race of people, negroes. He makes it a common practice to live his life as he would like his children to live theirs, and thus displays the attributes of an honest, respectable, and kind man. Throughout the trial process, Atticus shows Jem and Scout that true courage is standing up for what you believe in and that all human beings, despite their race, deserve respect. "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This quote shows that Atticus wants his children to get along with people, and so other people will respect them for whom they are.
Atticus tells Heck Tate, “If this thing’s hushed up it’ll be a simple denial to Jem of the way I’ve tried to raise him”(Lee 273). This proves that Atticus has a sense of the differences between right and wrong and was not going to make any exceptions for even his own child. In any situation, Atticus thinks of the right thing to do, making no
Atticus says, “I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again”,(100). That quote from Atticus shows that it would not make sense for him to tell his children not to do something, if he will not do something of his own. Atticus also says,” I couldn’t hold up my head in town”(100). That demonstrates that, just like any other man in Maycomb pride is important, so if Atticus can not hold his head up high, then he sees no point in moving forward in his life.Due to the fact that Atticus is too proud of a man to not take the case,it makes sense for him to protect Tom Robinson.
The struggle becomes clear when he is faced with the case of Mayella Ewell versus a timid black man, Tom Robinson. He knows he will certainly face ridicule if he defends a “negro” but he also knows that if he does not he will show his kids that racism is good. For example, he explains to Scout, “The main one is... I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (100) This quote shows that Atticus does not care about what the town thinks but only what his kids think.