In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is seen as a universal hero from his morals and actions. However, the more people examine his actions, dialogue and motives, the more criticism he gets, and the less he is thought of as a hero. All of their proof was put in the article “The Rise and Fall of Atticus Finch,” by Christopher Metress, describing him as a character who thinks the other’s views of him are very important and selfish. The article also makes a lot more harsh remarks about his actions. The article is quite debatable, just like Atticus Finch and whether he is an actual hero or not. It carefully examines the directness of his dialogue and actions, however, they fail to look at him as an overall main character of the novel, and if they did, they would see him as a hero. In the article, it argues that Atticus didn’t not choose the case of Tom Robinson, and because of that it makes him less courageous and valiant. However, that is not necessarily true. The court …show more content…
offered the case to the lawyers, which no one chose because it involves having to law for a black man in a racist community. Atticus was appointed to take the case, and he was the only one willing to. The article also says he did it for himself, due to the fact that when Atticus revealed his motives for the case to Jack, he said, “But do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and 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 reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand… I just hope that Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town. I hope they trust me enough…” (Lee 117). He’s aware that defending Tom will affect his children’s lives too, but he’s doing it because he believes it’s right. He believes it’s right because he knows the man is innocent after looking at the case, but he knows that the other lawyers will probably not put that much effort into the case, due to the blunt fact that in the end Tom’s going to be guilty because he is black. Atticus stills tries to win the case with Tom instead of resorting to abandonment showing he’s willing to stand against the rest of the community’s views. If he was actually doing this for himself to make himself more admirable, he wouldn’t have done Atticus would’ve still taken the case due to his beliefs, even if the court didn’t assign him the case. Atticus does not mind what others in the town think of him defending a black man.
In the article it mentions him caring about other’s views of him. Which should be proven wrong when he talks to Scout when she says others in the town think it’s wrong that he is defending Tom. “‘They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions,’ said Atticus, ‘but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience’” (Lee 139). Others in Maycomb think it’s not right for a white man to defend a black man. They think it’s not right because many people believe that the races should be separated. However, his conscience says that if he doesn’t law for him, then who will? He believes Tom, even though he’s black, deserves the same treatment as whites in court. So, Atticus defends Tom. He wouldn’t be defending him if he really believed in others’
views. It is argued by Metress’ article, that the book is trying to teach us to be more like Atticus. Then it insults Atticus by indirectly saying that we should fear those below us by saying we should “fear and deplore the Ewells and Lula,” which is not accurate. It’s saying that because the Ewells and Lula are below Atticus in the town social hierarchy because one is black and the others don’t have jobs, that Atticus should fear them and try to not mix with them. After the court case that the Ewells won, Bob Ewell spat in his face and, “‘I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco,’ was all Atticus said about it” (Lee 291). This doesn’t show any fear. He didn’t try avoiding Bob, like how Scout avoided Boo. He doesn’t fear the Ewells or anyone else. He also doesn’t deplore anyone in the novel. When Jem asked him why he wasn’t worried, Atticus just said it was natural because he destroyed Bob Ewell’s credibility. In conclusion, Atticus is not how Metress’ article accuses him to be. He is a hero who is courageous through his actions and thoughts. When the evidence is observed more carefully, people can see that he in fact a hero in his own ways for the town, and instead be praised more for his ability to stand against the community. After all, it takes a hero to stand against what’s wrong.
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that is prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others. When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual.
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself as well.
Our hero in To Kill A Mockingbird is Atticus Finch. In this story Atticus finch is a lawyer whose morality and reason makes him the hero of the story. For example in this quote “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
Atticus Finch is a heroic character in To Kill A Mockingbird. A hero is a person who is known for certain achievements and qualities. Atticus is known for many qualities he displayed during the novel, as well as various achievements. This makes him a heroic character. Atticus Finch is a hero because he defended a black man in court, proved his abilities and intelligences, and cared for everybody equally.
Overall Atticus was a hero in a sense of the word. It is proved he acted in such a manner that it could be said his character was built of that definition. Currently more people like him are needed in our world. If more people saw things from the point of view of Atticus the violence occurring because of race would end and people would just see people based on who they were and not what skin
Although they are critiqued, some people do whatever they can do to improve our society. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch proves himself to be a hero. This small-town lawyer exhibits bravery, strength, and modesty when faced with objection during Maycomb’s quarrel for justice. Without a doubt, Atticus proves that anybody can stand for what he or she believes is right.
Atticus shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.
Atticus Finch was a true hero, in my eyes. He had all the essentials to being a hero, such as; respect, equality, and quiet dignity. Sure, Mr. Finch didn’t quite reach his goal of winning the Tom Robinson case, but it was the fact that he attempted it, knowing he would lose. A hero is not someone who achieves something, but is a person that attempts to. The journey to your goal might even be more important than the actual achievement, because on your way to the top, struggles appear and you overcome them by learning new lessons to live by in life. In conclusion, Atticus Finch truly is America’s greatest hero.
Atticus did what no other person would do in Maycomb, he defended a negro man in court. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus is a lawyer that has to defend Tom Robinson because Tom was accused of raping a white lady. Others in Maycomb don’t agree with Atticus because he took a black man’s words over a white woman’s word. Atticus is a man of morals with integrity, so he did the right thing and took Tom Robinson’s side. It makes sense for Atticus to take a stand to defend Tom Robinson because he follows his morals and the golden rule.
This type of discrimination made African American victims of jails and crimes that they did not even consider doing but were thought of doing because of racial segregation enforcement (popularity?) within the Southern society of the US. However, Atticus was different and believed that Tom robinson is innocent since he understood (understands?) how people discriminate others and was aware (is aware) of different types of prejudice (in that time period). So, due to Atticus’ good morals and values, he was willing to try his best to support the truth (who was
In Conclusion, Today in our world many people see someone as an admirable leader and heroic figure. Whether it’s a sister, brother, parent, or celebrity, everyone has someone they look up to. Just like the people of Maycomb look up to Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is a good man who displayed so many characteristics and he is definitely the heroic figure of Maycomb. Atticus presented himself as a calm, courageous, and an open-minded person. His great qualities and personality also won him the respect of African Americans. Only someone with such great pride and honor would be able to accomplish that. When Atticus put his reputation at risk, he knew it was troubling but he was not going to be seen as a typical Maycomb person. Therefore, Atticus is a great impact in the novel, To Kill a MockingBird By Harper Lee.
Atticus was incredibly courageous taking on tom Robinsons case against the prejudice of Macomb County and he shows incredible courage when he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and won." He wants the people of Maycomb to hear the truth about Tom Robinson, "That boy may go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." Chapter 15, Page 146. He was against the whole white community including his own sister practically said that he was a disgrace to his family Atticus tells scout when she asks him why he is taking the case he says "For a number of reasons. 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.
Even though the odds go against him, Atticus Finch bravely stands up to his beliefs and morals. Furthermore, he
Bob Riley once said “Hard times don't create heroes, it is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.” Author Lee shows the thoughts and feelings of each character carefully. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Atticus Finch represents Lee’s idea of social justice by demonstrating patience, wisdom and sympathy.
“You never really understood a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around it.” Atticus Finch is a man of extreme integrity. He, as both a lawyer and a human being, stands up for his democratic beliefs and encourages his children to stand up for their own, though they may stand alone. Harper Lee showed how far respect went in To Kill a Mockingbird when Atticus defended Tom Robinson in his rape trial. He did not think twice about being ridiculed by th...