Why Is Atticus A Hero

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Recommended: Why should To Kill a Mockingbird not be banned

Although the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has over thirty million copies in print since its publication in 1960, it is one of the most commonly banned novels from high school reading lists. Set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, the novel follows the adventures of Jean Louise Finch, affectionately known as Scout, and her older brother Jem as they encounter the social injustices in Maycomb when their father, Atticus, is appointed as a lawyer for the defendant in a controversial case. One might ask why it is often banned and most professionals will agree that the novel contains racism and offensive language; though, all books have flaws – wouldn’t one agree? However, some individuals challenge the flawed characters of the novel rather than the language and the racism. Take Atticus Finch for example, the father of Scout and Jem, a highly regarded lawyer, and an active citizen of Maycomb; what would the world be like without men like Atticus? Many consider Atticus to be a moral hero to readers and a model of integrity for lawyers. Although Atticus Finch is a highly respectable and kind-hearted man, he has several flaws as a character which diminish him as a true hero of the novel. As a father Atticus strives to always tell his children the truth, he does not believe that anything should be hidden from them. Atticus is very humble in the sense that he allows his children to call him by his first name, he believes that they are his equal and doesn’t want them to think he is above them, his humbleness however is never taken as softness. His oh-so-tremendous fatherly ways slip-up though when the children ask about the Ku Klux Klan. He sugar coats the Klan by explaining that “there was a Klan but it was a... ... middle of paper ... ... a hero of the novel. Even though Atticus Finch is an exceedingly reputable and good-natured man, he has more than a few flaws as a character which contract him as the true hero of the novel. However, though Atticus is not a hero of the novel as many readers think, he is a well-rounded and well developed character. As a father, he always makes every effort to tell his children nothing but the truth; as a citizen, Atticus is courteous and gentlemanly to everyone in town, and as a lawyer, Atticus takes on a case with the dedication that no other white man would have – even when he knew that he was most likely going to fail. Every character has their pros and cons, some outweigh each other while some balance each other out. So although Atticus is not a very good role model for young lawyers, his gentleman-like nature is an exemplary photo for young, growing men.

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