Many characters have to deal with and struggle with their own moral development and are brought to make many decisions that determine who they are; and one of the major element that influences this is their perception between their left and right. A perfect example of such development taking action in a positive way is through Scout and Jem Finch. According to Kathryn Lee Seidel, the “most influential in her development is her father, Atticus, who counters southern dicta for southern children with a philosophy of calm courage and rational strength” (Seidel 78). Atticus is clear in using his “left” in his decision making and his moral consciousness. Not only does Atticus show this in his actions, but in his directions. During the scene in which a rabid dog comes and terrorizes the town, Atticus is told that his shot at the dog was, “a little to the right” (Lee …show more content…
Laurie Champion explains further by stating, “of course Tate refers to the direction ‘right’ as opposed to ‘center’ or ‘left’, but symbolically, Atticus looks to the ‘right’, protects the neighborhood” (Champion 57). This symbol of Atticus’ disposition in life greatly influences his children's lives as they discover their moral directions through him as a role model. It becomes apparent that Jem takes after his father as it is shown in the opening paragraph that Jem’s “left arm was somewhat shorter than his right… he couldn’t have cared less” (Lee 3). Throughout the story Jem displays the same basic ideas and morals as his father, not only in his actions and his thoughts, but in his physical appearance as well. Scout is also influenced by her father, particularly because she does not have a mother to look up to. Scout watches and learns from her dad and from her older brother, both of whom are prominent with their right, and resembles them in her actions and thoughts. Scout is not only influenced by her father, but her
Throughout the novel, Atticus’ assistance to Jem and Scout’s development becomes evident. Atticus takes every opportunity to attempt to teach his children the importance of having an open-mind. For instance, when Scout queries Atticus about Maycomb’s prejudice perspective, he tells her, “You never really understand a person until…you climb in their skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 30) Even during the early stages of the novel, it is apparent that Atticus endeavors to instill the values of empathy and tolerance within Jem and Scout by teaching them how to have multiple perspectives on a situation. In addition, Atticus also attempts to enlighten his children about peaceful resolution in society. For example, when Atticus is chosen to defend Tom Robinson, Atticus tells Scout, you might hear some ugly talk about it at school but…you just hold your head high and keep those fists down.”...
The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, is an American classic, narrated by the young Scout Finch, the most engrossing character in the book. The novel is about the adventures of two siblings over the time of about three years. Jem and Jean Louise (Scout) Finch were two young siblings who one day met another young boy named Dill. Over time, Jem and Scout grow up under the careful watch of their father and friends, learning how to be adults. They play games, they sneak into a courthouse, and they learn a valuable life lesson. Scout was an intriguing character. As the narrator, you learn more about Scout’s feelings towards the events in the book and soon learn to love her. Let me introduce you to Scout Finch.
Doing the right thing is not always easy. In the classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the characters Atticus, Boo, and Jem are faced with many of life’s obstacles. Each character must dig deeply into themselves to truly discover the difference between right and wrong. It takes a great deal of courage to face your inner fears and make the right decision. Some of the character’s behavior is typical, while some is atypical.
Atticus’ statement on prejudice and racism characterises his moral integrity and his empathetic nature. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch is depicted as the complete opposite of what people would perceive to be a stereotypical southern man living in the Deep South during the 1930s. Contrary to the majority of his fellow townspeople of Maycomb, Atticus is a man of great virtue and moral strength. He in not bigoted or racist and is egalitarian in his approach to all people This sort of moral integrity is what he tries to instil in his two young children, Jem and Scout, despite the bigotry and inequality surrounding them. Atticus Finch stands as a moral beacon of the town, a label which causes much friction between himself and other members of the Maycomb community. A clearer idea of Atticus’ principles can be gained by comparing and contrasting them to three other characters in the Novel, Calpurnia, Bob Ewell and Aunt Alexandra.
Atticus Finch as a parent teaches Scout and Jem moral values and tries his hardest to pass on to his children his way of thinking. Atticus worries that his children sees to much racism and injustice, and tries to show his children that all people are equal no matter the color of their skin. He teaches them to go against the norm in Maycomb which is prejudice and unjust in their actions.
Keeping a mouth shut doesn't hold the world shut out, it opens up new doors to things that would never be expected. In To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, there is are two character that is are an eternal mystery for the readers. Boo Radley, though the reader nor Scout and Jem know anything about the character all they want is to learn about him. Boo becomes a mysterious figure that many see as creepy, ghostly, but also reasonably wise. The one-time Boo appears the readers learn he is a sagacious, powerful man. Little do Scout and Jem know is that their father is also a rational being as well. The two crucial character in the story helps support the
Scout’s shape has a green half-heart bottom, two green finger-like extensions that reach out from the top, one toward Atticus and the other toward Jem, and another green finger-like extension projecting from the side toward everyone else in Maycomb. The green in each of the finger-like extensions and the half-heart bottom represents her youth and innocence which affect her outlook on life. In the center of the shape, a red core represents the love and passion that fill her heart and is the inspiration for her actions and reasoning. Atticus is connected to Scout by the finger-like extension because Scout looks up to him, trusts him, and learns both moral and academic lessons from his actions and words. When Scout narrates, she says, “As Atticus had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it: if I had gone alone to the Radley Place at two in the morning, my funeral would have been held the next afternoon. So I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him”(57). This shows her respect toward Atticus and demonstrates her real trust in his advice. The other finger-like extension reaching from the top, toward Jem, shows their connection and her natural admiration, love, respect, and trust in her older sibling. “Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained- if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (13). This sho...
Atticus Finch, Jem and Scouts father is a civilized man and sets the standard for the children. His life is an example of being civilized in your heart, and what it means to be a 'good person' and really believe in it. Atticus teaches Scout this when she explains she doesn't want to attend school, disliking it enough to pretend to be ill. Unhappily she informs her father that her teacher forbid him to continue to teach her to read, instead of harshly criticizing her teacher and starting a parent teacher battle Atticus wisely explains to her that, she'd get along better with people if she understood how to see their point of view, “until you climb into [their] skin and walk around in it.” Through this Atticus explains to Scout that being civilized in your heart sometimes requires you to compromise, being able to see both sides of a opinion. Atticus loves hi...
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.
This quotation makes the reader consider the events leading up to the incident and how it actually happened. The use of the first person retrospective creates suspense as the narrator knows what the outcome of the book is going to be but the reader does not. Alternatively it could be a direct link between Jem and the Tom Robinson case and that Jem’s situation with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson has left him with a permanent scar. Scout describes that Jem’s left arm “somewhat shorter than his right”. He shares this with Tom as his left arm also hangs higher due to an accident of a cotton jim. Lee could be implying that Jem has been affected beyond repair due to his father’s involvement in the Tom Robinson case. Although Lee suggests earlier in the book that Jem’s trauma is temporary and that he will grow up to be as compassionate and understanding as his father. Atticus symbolizes a guardian of justice and at the end of the novel Lee projects an image of Atticus protecting his children; “He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.”
Atticus heeds scout and Jem, but he does not handle them the way children are usually handled. In fact, Atticus never treats anyone the way they would normally be treated by society. When Walter Cunningham, son of Mr. Cunningham, the poor farmer, arrives with Scout for dinner, Finch speaks business with him, discussing the farm, as if he were a grown man. He also does this with his own children. He says: "when a child asks you something answer him... but don't make a production of it". Atticus responds to all questions Jem and Scout ask of him, unless the answer hurts another. He is not troubled exposing his children to racism, sexism, or rape, because he understands that it is more ideal for the children to deal with that matter the proper way, as taught by their father, than the way the neighbours deal with them. Atticus treats everyone with respcet. Whether it is Bob And Mayella Ewell, who's lawyer treats Tom Robinson no better than trash, or wether it is Mrs. Dubose, a neighbour who welcomes Sount and Jem with horrible insults to their family. Great attitude is key and Finch has nailed it down, making him a great parent and a greater role
Potter Stewart, a notable associate justice in the Supreme Court once said, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do.” By this, he means that being moral and ethical isn’t always dependent of the limitations of law, but what is truly the moral thing to do. Atticus Finch, the main protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird , is the father of Scout and Jem Finch. He is morally upright, believing in perspective and equality, no matter race or background. In Harper Lee’s classic novel, Atticus Finch undergoes multiple changes in his morals as he learns that morality is more complex than he thought it was.
While Scout and Jem discover a sick dog, they alerted their neighbors about it. Atticus took his rifle and shot the sick dog. Staying close to Miss Maudie, Scout listens to Miss Maudie’s story about Atticus. She tells him how he had a great shot and almost never missed. Scout wondered why he didn;t go hunting anymore. Miss Maudie explains to her by saying, “Maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things” (130). Miss Maudie means that because of the advantage he has on wild animals, he found it unacceptable to kill things that couldn’t fight back. This shows how Atticus is, that he is honest with himself and shooting for sport is not ok.Atticus showed an example of his integrity. Scout sees this and understands the lesson of being fair and sticking to your principles. Also, Atticus has a different opinion than the majority in Maycomb. Being a lawyer, he defends Tom Robinson. Scout talks to Atticus and talks how lots of people in Maycomb believe he is wrong, while Atticus believes he is right. Atticus the states, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person conscience” (140). Sticking to what he believes, Atticus shows his person integrity. He doesn’t follow something because everyone else believes something, it is more because he sticks with and is strong with his principals.
In Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the protagonist Scout faces offenses by others because of her father's justice for defending an African American in court. Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, in the sleepy town of Maycomb during the Great Depression. As Atticus, the father of the protagonist faces the moral dilemma in chapter 29-30 of the incident with Bob Ewell. Atticus moral dilemma reveals his character and beliefs. Bob Ewell attempted to hurt Atticus children in order to get revenge on Atticus for defending the African American who was accused of raping his daughter in court.
The morals for Scout and Jem to live by come from their father, Atticus Finch. He has experienced evils in his life, like the death of his wife, but he never lost faith in the good of people. He taught Scout and Jem right from wrong when they were young, because their mother was no longer around to teach them. Atticus understands that people have good and bad inside of them, but he feels that the good side can always overcome the bad side. This is true when he backed Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mr. Ewell’s daughter. Even though no one else helped Atticus out, he never gave up on Tom Robinson no matter how hard things got.