Atticus Finch: The Modern Day Hero

Who do people view as heroes? The modern day hero is seen as a person who fights crime and saves others from dire situations, but the true definition is “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is the true definition of a hero. Despite not being viewed as a hero by the majority of people in his time, Atticus Finch is known today as a heroic figure throughout America because of his ability to be an ideal father, his tremendous amount of courage, and his understanding between right and wrong.

In order for a person to be a good father, one must be an inspiration to their children and allow them to learn from their own mistakes. According to Tejas Patel, “Anyone can have a child and call themselves ‘a parent’. A REAL parent is someone who

He is first confronted with the decision to defend Tom Robinson in court. When Scout asks Atticus why he is taking the case, Atticus replies, “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"(Lee 75). Atticus knew that accepting trial would not only put himself in danger but also cause trouble for his children. Knowing the risks, he still chose to defend Tom and go against society. Atticus is later faced with the decision to choose between right and wrong when he thought Jem stabbed Bob Ewell and was going to allow Jem to be prosecuted. Atticus tells Heck Tate, “If this thing’s hushed up it’ll be a simple denial to Jem of the way I’ve tried to raise him”(Lee 273). This proves that Atticus has a sense of the differences between right and wrong and was not going to make any exceptions for even his own child. In any situation, Atticus thinks of the right thing to do, making no