Atticus Finch Essay

802 Words2 Pages

The character, Atticus Finch, found within the famous novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, and its slightly less famous successor, Go Set A Watchman, plays the same role as a father and a lawyer in Maycomb County. While his roles in the books are overall the same, many argue that Atticus himself is different between the two books, particularly his views on negroes and slavery. Within To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is very accepting of negroes, treats them as though they are family, and even goes out of his way to help them. But within Go Set A Watchman, Finch loses some of these qualities that portray him as a kind, accepting member of society. Though he is deemed as having lost some of these qualities, the reader has to determine whether he …show more content…

Against the wishes of many townsfolk, and under many judging eyes, he defended a black man in court from a rape charge brought about by a white neighborhood family. This was unheard of during this time period, especially in small counties where racism seems to be magnified. Atticus’ actions in the defense of Tom Robinson lead the reader to believe that he is an accepting individual who vies for equality, but his words say otherwise; principally when he brings up racist remarks stating that black people are still in their childhood stage as a race, or when he deems the negro population as backwards within Go Set A Watchman. These remarks conflict with his almost heroic actions within To Kill A Mockingbird. This leads to more confusion as to whether Atticus Finch is the same character, or if he has changed between these two books. Readers of Go Set A Watchman can discover many controversial moments in which Atticus can be deemed as a racist, but none quite a controversial as when Jean Louise Finch discovers him as well as many other men in town at a Ku Klux Klan meeting. This is the turning point in which Atticus Finch leaps from having racist tendencies to becoming a racist. There is a noticeable difference between the two books in this situation as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird would avoid a group like the Ku Klux Klan at all costs, but in Go Set A Watchman, he is a member

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