Atticus Finch A Hero
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch is a lawyer in Maycomb County, Alabama. He has two children, Jem and Scout, and is very loyal to them and cares about them both. Atticus sticks out from normal citizens in Maycomb. He cares about everybody no matter the race, or personality. Tom Robinson, a black person in Maycomb, is accused of rape and Atticus wants to help him and be his lawyer for the case. Atticus Finch is a hero because he has courage, sympathy, and is very respectful towards others.
Atticus is a hero because he has a lot of courage. In the novel, he explains to Scout about why he is doing the case with Tom Robinson. “I’m simply defending a black, Tom Robinson…I’m doing this for a number
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of reasons…The main one is, if I didn’t, I couldn’t hold my head up in this town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (Lee, pg. 75) This quote shows how what Atticus is doing takes a lot of courage. Defending a black is not something a white person would normally do in the 30’s in Maycomb. In the novel, Atticus also shows courage by killing Tim Johnson, a dog that is found to have rabies. “Take him, Mr. Finch.” Mr. Tate handed the rifle to Atticus; Jem and I nearly fainted. “I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years.” “The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap.” “I saw that, One-Shot Finch!” (Lee, pg.95-97) This quote shows Atticus’ courage towards shooting a very dangerous dog in front of his kids when he sheriff wouldn’t. In the novel, Atticus also shows sympathy. After Jem went through and cut up all of Mrs. Dubose’s flowers, he told Jem to go apologize to her. He is very kind towards Mrs. Dubose, regardless of how rude she can be. “There was no point in saying sorry if you aren’t, Jem, She’s old and ill. You cant hold her responsible for what she says and does.” (Lee, pg.105) Atticus shows sympathy towards Mrs. Dubose. He also shows sympathy towards Tom’s wife when Tom dies. He understands what he might be going through and goes to tell her the news and comfort her. “Toms dead.” “He had such a good chance; I guess he was tired of white men’s chances and preferred to take his own.” (Lee, pg.235) Atticus shows how much he cared for Tom and his wife, and showed sympathy for them. Atticus Finch is also a hero because of his respectfulness towards others.
During the court case in the novel, when it is Mayella’s turn to go up and talk, he continuously called her ma’am and miss to be polite towards her as a lady. “Miss Mayella, he said smiling…” “So you did, so you did ma’am…bear with me Miss. Mayella…” “Won’t answer a word you say long as you keep on mocking me,” she said…” “ma’am? Asked Atticus, startled.” (Lee, pg.181-182) Throughout the whole case, Atticus continued to be polite towards Mayella regardless of her rudeness or understanding of what he was doing and why. Another way he showed respectfulness was towards the Radley’s. He would get angry when Jem, Scout and Dill would go up to the Radley house, or make up games about Boo Radley. “Son, I am going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man.” “No,” said Atticus, “putting his life’s history on display for the edification of the neighborhood.” “You stop this nonsense right now…” (Lee, pg.49) He displays his respect towards the Radley’s by giving them space and letting them be alone without Scout, Jem, and Dill always messing around with …show more content…
them. Atticus Finch cares about everybody in Maycomb County no matter what.
He will stick up for what he believes in and won’t back down. When Tom Robinson is in trouble and is accused of rape, Atticus does all he can to help. He stands up for Tom and doesn’t care what others think when they make fun of him or look down upon him for defending a black. In Maycomb, you normally don’t defend blacks or help them out. This novel affects the reader in many ways. The novel gives insight on what it was like for people in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. The reader can have a better understanding on how racism was looked upon. The novel teaches a good lesson of caring about others and sticking up for them no matter their race, or personality. The title To Kill a Mockingbird is a hint to a major theme in the book, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. This is saying that if you are putting someone down just for how they look or who they are, it’s like putting down someone who has never done any harm to you, just like a mocking bird does no
harm.
... that complete the story of the children and the Tom Robinson trial. Although he was a flat character, he helped some of the other characters come alive. A large fragment of the meaning of this novel was growing up and maturing. Atticus nurtured the children and overall created a perfect example for them to grow up watching. In the time of this book, segregation was a big part of life in Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus, being a lawyer was in the middle of the fight between blacks and whites. Although the controversy was intense, Atticus understood the perspective of the Negroes and understood the struggle of living in Alabama at that time. When Atticus is appointed to defend Tom, he was blind as to what events would occur. Overall he was calm when people condemned him. The character of Atticus was an essential part of the novel and the lives of the people in the novel.
Atticus Finch is the most significant character, in To Kill a Mockingbird, who challenges racial prejudice as he does not follow the norms, in Maycomb, of being racially prejudice towards others. At first, Atticus Finch is reluctant to take on Tom Robinson’s case; however in the end, he willingly accepts. Unlike the majority of Maycomb residents, Atticus is not racist and makes no distinction upon race, he sees Negroes, just like Tom Robinson, as the same equality as any other person in the Maycomb community. For this reason, he believes they should be trea...
Atticus Finch is a lawyer and father of two children whose names are Jem and Scout. In the novel, Atticus chooses to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white woman, even though most of Maycomb is against Tom Robinson due to its racist time setting. He understood that racism was inhumane and innocent people must be defended no matter what race they are. Atticus holds his ground and tries his best to defend Tom Robinson in court, despite the community being against him. Atticus even reminds his children to steadfast during this time of challenge regardless of what other people tell them.
Atticus Finch is a character of stability in an unstable society. He is a balanced figure who is able to cope with the unreasonable and highly emotional town in which he lives. He can manage the prejudiced white masses and still deal justly with the underprivileged Negro population of Maycomb. He is one of the few people who understand the individual worth of a person regardless of the color of his/her skin. This enables him to defend Tom Robinson based solely on the concept of justice and equality. In his closing argument, Atticus explains that, “there is one place all men are created equal. That place is in a court room” (Lee 205). This justifies the fact that Atticus believes in equality in a society, the equality not only of race, but also of sex, class, and religion as well. His view of equality and justice is a symbol of his own psychological stability throughout the novel. Accordingly, in the final analysis of the story, Atticus represents the “justice” in the community of Maycomb. His stability throughout the book is one of the many characteristics that depict Atticus Finch as the novel’s core.
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
In this world one does not often encounter a hero. A true hero dedicated his life to putting others before himself. Through his actions as a hero, Atticus plants the seeds of morality in his community and watches them grow.
Atticus Finch is a lawyer in the town of Maycomb In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, he is a father of two children, Jem and Scout Finch. He is a man of wise character and considerate soul. He knows his morals and tries to help his children grow up to be successful and happy. Throughout the novel, Atticus acts justly, loves tenderly, and walks humbly by the way he perceives the people in his life, how he succeeds in his job and treats his family.
Atticus Finch shows, in many ways, the true definition of a hero, but no situation was more important than the Tom Robinson trial. In Maycomb, the thought of taking a negro’s word instead of a white man’s was ridiculous to the citizens, especially over a matter as serious as a black man raping a white woman. Regardless of this information, Atticus still takes on Tom Robinson’s case and tries to make as big of a difference as possible. When Scout asks him if he thinks that he will win the case, Atticus subtly replies “No, honey” (76). Atticus goes on to explain, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win” (76). Basically, Atticus believes that just because it is unlikely that he will win, it does not mean that he should just give up without trying. Throughout all the discrimination, Atticus remains tough and tries to achieve his goal, no matter how hard it is. This was an example of moral courage. Even Scout knows how hard her father is trying by comparing Atticus’ efforts to “watching Atticus walk down the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but...
Atticus should not give up his character, parental authority, and position in town to please the racist beliefs of others in Maycomb. Atticus cannot stand racism and says, "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it—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. " Atticus should take a stand and defend Tom Robinson, to treat his children with valuable lessons and to keep his conscience clean. For these reasons, it does make sense for Atticus Finch to defend Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Atticus is a good father for teaching his children to respect everyone. Scout asks Atticus if he is a “nigger lover” and he simply replies, "I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes—baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you." This shows that atticus is not like the other people in Maycomb he considers every man to be equal to one another. Judge Taylor comes to Atticus to defend Tom Robinson because he knows he’s the only man in Maycomb that is fit to do to the job, and do it fairly. While thinking about taking the offer Atticus firsts thinks about his kids and how it will affect their lives. Atticus says “…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 anythin...
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.
Atticus Finch, was an important figure in the novel. Not just as a character, but also as a major influence for other characters. He himself though, may be one of the, if not the person who shows the most amount of courage in the story. He exemplifies courage in many situations, the most major ones being tom Robinson’s trial, the killing of Tim Johnson, and his desire to teach that courage to his children, all symbolizing him being the catalyst to eradicating racism in that town. Tom Robinson’s trial is the biggest example of such courage as he is protecting a man whom is wrongf...