In To Kill a Mockingbird, many things are different than they appear. One of those things is Atticus Finch, the quiet lawyer living in Maycomb with his two children, Jem and Scout. He appears to be not much of a man at all, until trouble appears. Although Finch is a quite and peaceful man, when he shot the mad dog, it made his children admire him even more. The dog was a symbol of the citizens of Maycomb and its disease was a symbol of the racism that infected the town. Atticus proved that he would protect those when they needed it most, whether that be his family or Tom Robinson. Finch’s children learn a lot from this event, because their father appears to be a completely harmless and peaceful man. He goes to the courthouse, does his job, …show more content…
“Our father didn’t do anything. Atticus did not...do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone” (Lee, 118). “Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty” (Lee,118). From these quotations we can see that Atticus’ children believed that their father was a boring, feeble man. Atticus proved them to be wrong when he shot the dog. When the children saw what their father had done, they saw him in a completely different way. “ ‘D you see hims Scout? ‘D you see him just standin’ there?... ‘n’ all of a sudden he just relaxed all over, an’ it looked like that gun was a part of him….”(Lee,129). “Well now, Miss Jean Louise,”she [Mrs. Maudie] said,” still think your father can’t do anything?” (Lee,129). The mad dog is a symbol. It represents the racist court. The court’s racism is the madness of the dog. “...he’s just as dangerous dead as alive (Lee,128)”. Even though the dog was killed, it was still dangerous. Its disease could still affect anyone that came in contact with it. The same is true for racism. This means that the racism of the court is dangerous, whether Tom was found innocent or not. Atticus was willing to take on the racism. So whether or not Tom was found guilty, the madness of racism would still surround him. Tom was found guilty, and he was killed, which put an ultimate silence to his
Tom is a nice young man who needs to go to court for being accused of raping a young girl named Mayella, although he did not go threw it alone. He had his lawyer Atticus Finch. Atticus is a single father of two. He believes that no matter who he is defending, if that person is innocent, he deserves justice and he will try his best so justice will be served.
Jem and Scouts’ father, Atticus, is very misjudged by their children. They believe that Atticus is a very semantic man that goes to work, comes back, and has no skill whatsoever in sports. Scout criticizes Atticus by saying “Atticus did not… or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone”(118). This demonstrates that Jem and Scout are not satisfied with Atticus’s physical and amusing skills. They thought of him as an old man in his fifties that had no energy left, and had a routine of going to bed and reading in the living room instead of running around. Later, they visit there across the street neighbor, Mrs. Maudie to talk about how boring their Dad is, when Mrs. Maudie says” ‘Well, he can make everybody’s will so airtight can’t anybody meddle with him’… ‘Well, did you know he is the best checker-player in this town? Why down at the Landing when we were coming up, Atticus Finch could beat everybody on both sides of the river”(120). This establishes that they find out that their Dad isn’t so useless anymore. Even though the children find out all these activities he is excellent at, sometimes even the best, they are still not overly impressed. After Calpurnia calls the cops on the dog, Tim Johnson, The sheriff and Atticus arrive at the scene “ ‘Take him, Mr. Finch’. Mr. Tate handed the rifle to Attics; Jem and I nearly fainted…’’d you see him, Scout? ’d you see him just standing there?...’n’ all of a sudden he just relaxed all over, an’ it looked like that gun was a part of him’”(126-129).
Scout learned a number of things in the book, but most of them all refer back to a statement that Atticus and Calpurnia said, which goes, “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is sing their hearts our for us.” (Lee, pg. 90). Scout learned that about people, too. She learned that some people don’t do anything to you, so it would be a sin to do something mean in return. Over the course of the story Scout becomes more mature and learns the most important facts of life. She was living through a very difficult time and most of that helped her get through.
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.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee seems like a complete replica of the lives of people living in a small Southern U.S. town. The themes expressed in this novel are as relevant today as when this novel was written, and also the most significant literary devices used by Lee. The novel brings forward many important themes, such as the importance of education, recognition of inner courage, and the misfortunes of prejudice. This novel was written in the 1930s. This was the period of the “Great Depression” when it was very common to see people without jobs, homes and food. In those days, the rivalry between the whites and the blacks deepened even more due to the competition for the few available jobs. A very famous court case at that time was the Scottsboro trials. These trials were based on the accusation against nine black men for raping two white women. These trials began on March 25, 1931. The Scottsboro trials were very similar to Tom Robinson’s trial. The similarities include the time factor and also the fact that in both cases, white women accused black men.
As a father, Atticus Finch tried to make his kids the best they can be. He tried teaching them that just because everyone acts a certain way, doesn’t mean they have to be close-minded and go along with it. Furthermore, he tries teaching them to always place themselves in someone’s position before judging them. Atticus leads them with example in the way he fought for Tom Robinson, tried helping Mayella Ewell deal with her father, and tried protecting Boo Radley from harassment. In conclusion, Harper Lee portrayed a sense of universal understanding in her novel.
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.
...occur in the story, including Bob Ewell’s attack on Jem and Scout, and when the grateful fans of Mr. Finch bring him thanks, would not have occurred had Atticus chosen to dismiss the case. Parenting is a challenge in itself. Finding the proper balance to raising children to be happy and healthy adults can be difficult. Atticus is faced with these normal problems, as well as the choice of whether or not to put his children’s lives in danger in order to defend what is just. Though accepting Tom Robinson’s case was not the easy solution, or the answer that most parents would find, by making this choice, Atticus improved his own life as well as the lives as numerous people around him. Whether to coast with the easy solution, or face the challenge is the question that parents must ponder when making important decisions.
Atticus is not only a lawyer but he is a single father of two young children. With the help of Calpurnia they raise Jem and scout with a deep-rooted sense of honesty. Gem recalls not ever being hit by his father and the fact that Jem never wants to put his father in that position tells the audience a great deal regarding the father-son dynamic that they share. His ability to relate to his daughter, Scout, is impressive due to the loss of her mother. He is able to explain things in a way that lets the children reflect their own feeling on situations. He compromises and assumes the role of a mentor. He is perfectly content to let his children believe that their father is an old lawyer without many non-academic virtues. He surprises them again and again.
Scout Finch is not the stereotypical girl from the 1930’s. Agents the wishes of everyone around her, she grows up in overalls instead of dresses. Scout plays in the dirt and sand, instead of in the kitchen. In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee, Scout is the wild spirited narrator, growing up in the small town of Maycomb. As she gets older, she learns mostly from her father Atticus how to interact with people. Scout learns to show dignity and respect to everyone, under any circumstances.
While Scout and Jem discover a sick dog, they alerted their neighbors about it. Atticus took his rifle and shot the sick dog. Staying close to Miss Maudie, Scout listens to Miss Maudie’s story about Atticus. She tells him how he had a great shot and almost never missed. Scout wondered why he didn;t go hunting anymore. Miss Maudie explains to her by saying, “Maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things” (130). Miss Maudie means that because of the advantage he has on wild animals, he found it unacceptable to kill things that couldn’t fight back. This shows how Atticus is, that he is honest with himself and shooting for sport is not ok.Atticus showed an example of his integrity. Scout sees this and understands the lesson of being fair and sticking to your principles. Also, Atticus has a different opinion than the majority in Maycomb. Being a lawyer, he defends Tom Robinson. Scout talks to Atticus and talks how lots of people in Maycomb believe he is wrong, while Atticus believes he is right. Atticus the states, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person conscience” (140). Sticking to what he believes, Atticus shows his person integrity. He doesn’t follow something because everyone else believes something, it is more because he sticks with and is strong with his principals.
In the opening chapters of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Harper Lee introduces several subtle instances of racism. However, when Jem and Scout are welcomed into Cal’s Church in chapter 12, the reader really gets to travel behind the false disguise of Maycomb County’s white society to see the harsh realities of the injustices suffered by the blacks. The black community is completely separate from the whites -- in fact, Cal lives in a totally different part of town!
In addition, Tom Robinson is a black man who was accused of raping 19 year old Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch bravely and courageously took on the case even though he got the idea that it would take a miracle to win. By taking on the Tom Robinson case, it proved that Atticus was not a follower which separated himself from the rest of the town. During the trial, Atticus says, “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.” (Lee 274). Atticus is referring to his beliefs and how they are legitimate. He stands up for righteousness and justice rather than the majority. Additionally, Atticus believes that violence is not the appropriate answer. He wants his children to keep their fists down and heads up in every situation they encounter. In other words, the event with Mrs. Dubose was very meaningful. Mrs. Dubose is an old lady who lives two doors up the street from the Finch 's house. Atticus ' son, Jem destroyed Mrs. Dubose 's flowers because she had said disrespectful things about Atticus which brought out Jem 's anger. Even though Atticus was very upset, he does not believe violence is the appropriate
Nelle Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird has been considered one of the classic works of American literature. To Kill A Mockingbird is the work ever published by Nelle Harper Lee, and it brought her great fame. However, Nelle Harper Lee has published several other articles in popular magazines. Nelle Harper Lee is not an individual who desires to be in the light and little is known about her personal life. At the time it is believed she is possible working on her memoirs. The fictional work of To Kill A Mockingbird plots many elements close to real events in America’s struggle over civil rights.
In saying those things he also built character in his children and most definitely left a lasting imprint. One thing he said was “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 30).When he said that he made it clear that he does not discriminate and allowed his children to think the same way. During the trial Atticus knows that Tom will not be treated fairly so he says something that he hopes will appease the court. He told the jury that it is their God given duty to do the right