Defending Atticus Finch In 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

Atticus Finch: Defending Tom Robinson

It is a common question as to why Atticus Finch would defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. What sense did it make, to stand by a negro like him? The Golden Rule Atticus lives by and the kind of person he is may have something to do with it, as well as the influence of his two kids, Jem and Scout. Now, after reading the whole text of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus defending Tom makes perfect sense. Atticus Finch is a man described in To Kill a Mockingbird as someone who always does the right thing, even if other people disagree with him. Despite not wanting to take the case at first, he knows that Tom is innocent and defends him to the best of his ability. Other

“‘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’” (Lee 100). Atticus knows that if he didn’t go with his gut and defend Tom, he would be lacking in teaching his children an important lesson. If he didn’t teach his kids to stand up for what is right, what kind of father would he be? It makes sense that Atticus might defend Tom for the sake of them and the main lesson he would get out of it. He also does it in hope of keeping Jem and Scout away from “Maycomb’s Disease.” Atticus tells his brother, “‘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 otherwise reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand’” (Lee 117). Atticus’s son, Jem, looks up to him in many ways and is good at making the right decision like his father. Atticus did a good thing by defending Tom Robinson because he taught his kids many valuable lessons. For example, when Atticus is at the jailhouse to protect Tom, Jem goes to protect Atticus and refuses when he tells him to leave. “‘Go home, Jem,’ he said. ‘Take Scout and Dill home.’ We were accustomed to

He had absolutely no chance of winning, and everyone knew it too. However, this did not stop him from going in with confidence. “‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win’" (Lee 76) is one of the things Atticus said when people questioned him on defending when they knew he had no chance. Atticus proved a point by taking the case, Just because there is a high chance the outcome won’t turn out how you want it, you never know unless you try. Overall, Atticus defending Tom Robinson makes perfect sense. It seems in character for him to do so. His selflessness, his want to do the right thing, and the influence of his two children could have been a big part in him taking the case. Although he himself knew he had no chance of winning, if he didn’t, it would seem like everything he stood for in life would mean nothing. Atticus had to use his own advice and lessons to get himself through this trial, and in the end of it all, him defending Tom Robinson makes