Atticus Finch Character Analysis Essay To Kill A Mockingbird

Someone once said: There are many people who know you, but there are very few who understand you. For children part of maturing is understanding that their parents are not just guardians but also people. They are each unique and have their own special qualities. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, an underlying theme is how Scout began to see her Atticus for who he is and the events that prompted her realization.
Scout Finch, a six year old girl growing up in the southern United States begins her story living oblivious to the depth of character in her father. She puts her complete trust in Atticus, but is also embarrassed by him.
“He was much older than the parents of our school contemporaries, and there was nothing Jem or I could say about him when our classmates said, “My father—”...Our father didn’t do anything. He worked in an office, not in a drugstore ... he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone” (Harper 74).

Scout asks her neighbours about Atticus, wondering if he could anything at least mildly interesting.

Miss Maudie, her neighbour points out that he is gifted a checkers and playing the harp, two modest accomplishments that only embarrass Scout further. At this point, she sees Atticus as a rather boring father, but not much other than that.
Not long after conversing with Ms. Maudie, the next event persuaded Scout to realize she had no reason to complain about her father’s talents. Although it was not the season for a dog to go mad, a mad dog began wobbling toward the neighbourhood. The sheriff, upon arriving, immediately hands his rifle to Atticus, insisting that he shoot instead. Atticus aims and fires a precise hit. Scout revisits the subject of her father’s abilities with Mrs.

Maudie.
“‘Well now, Miss Jean Louise,’ she said, ‘still think your father can’t do anything? Still ashamed of him?’
‘Nome,’ I said meekly.
‘Forgot to tell you the other day that besides playing the Jew’s Harp, Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time’” (Harper 80).
Now older and wiser, Scout begins to realize there may be more to her father than a humble lawyer.
Another event drastically changed the way Scout saw Atticus: his role in the trial of Tom Robinson. Unlike most people in the town, Atticus respects the black community and agrees to defend a young African American named Tom Robinson who was wrongly accused of rape. “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change” (Harper 64). Scout chooses to do as he says, respecting him for his peaceful approach to the neighbour’s judgement. After the trial, she is proud of her father for defending a innocent victim of racism.