Adjectives In To Kill A Mockingbird

In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Atticus Finch is the single father of two children, Jem and Scout. While Atticus can be accurately described as kind, gentlemanly, and hard-working along with other things, I feel that 3 adjectives that most appropriately describe Atticus are: Brave, Selfless, and Wise.
Atticus is brave because he is more than willing to sacrifice all his time to defend Tom Robinson’s case, when he knows just as much as anyone else that it’s a hopeless cause. There are several times in the book when you can tell how beaten Atticus feels, yet he still gets up in the morning and does his best to carry on. In chapter 22, after losing the trial, Atticus gets up and carries on as usual and makes sure the children know

to do the same. In chapter 22, the author states, “But things are always better in the morning. Atticus rose at his usual ungodly hour and was in the living room behind the Mobile Register when we stumbled in. Jem’s morning face posed the question his sleepy lips struggled to ask. “It’s not time to worry yet,” Atticus reassured him.” (Lee-285)
Likewise, Atticus is selfless for the same reason that he is brave. He sacrifices all his time and energy to fight for a hopeless cause and defend his beliefs. Atticus says, "...you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, ... whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." (Lee-295) Another example of Atticus’s selflessness appears in chapter 23 following Ewell’s outburst when Atticus states, "Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of 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?" (Lee-292) Atticus’s selflessness is evident in this passage considering that he steps down to think about this issue from Ewell’s point of view and accepts the negative treatment, knowing that he is, in a way, protecting Ewell’s children from their father.
Lastly, Atticus is a very wise man because he understands that whether or not the odds are in your favor, the best thing to do is just stick to it and endure to the end. In chapter 11, atticus tells Jem, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” (Lee-149) One last passage that shows Atticus’s wisdom is when scout is complaining about school and he explains that,"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (Lee-39) Which, in my opinion, is a very wise way to view disagreements, small or large.
In conclusion, Atticus Finch, among other things, is most accurately represented as: Brave, Selfless, and Wise.