Atticus Prejudice

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird captures the essence of racism and prejudice through the people of Maycomb as they witness the trial of Tom Robinson unfold. The county of Maycomb is the backdrop for characters who are dishonest to themselves and others about the racism that exists in the community. By way of the townspeople, Lee presents a variety of characters: some are just, while others treat their neighbors as equals Many others are uneducated, financially poor, misinformed in the status quo, and/or discriminative. In contract to the townspeople, Atticus represents “the just” among the locals as much as he represents wisdom, which breathes change. Atticus’s positions as a father, lawyer, and member of the community reveal his integrity in all roles he inhabits.

Atticus’s primary role, as a father, displays integrity as the heart of his private, family life. For instance, when Scout has a rough first day of school with her new teacher, Miss Caroline, Scout complains to Atticus. He responds in a mutually consoling and instructive manner with Scout: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (Lee 39). In saying this, Atticus encourages Scout to consider what Miss Caroline goes through on a daily basis. In doing so, Atticus instills empathy in Scout in her maturation. Rather than allowing Scout to act from one’s self perspective, Atticus instructs Scout of the importance of patience and understanding among other people. Based on such evidence, Atticus represents an upstanding role model. Another example of Atticus’s role as “father” appears when Jem cuts Mrs. Dubose’s flowers. Jem cuts Mrs. Dubose’s flowers in defense of Atticus; Mrs. Dubose accuses Atticus of being a n-lover...

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...ut because nobody else in the town respects others as equals. This solidifies his role as a member of Maycomb County because, in doing this, he goes against the crowd and stands by his beliefs.

In Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee employs Atticus’s strengths and weaknesses to point to the integrity of his character and roles in the novel. Atticus displays his integrity courageously in his positions as a father, lawyer, and member of the community. Reflecting on the moral of the story, Atticus represents the integrity that leaves an impression on his audience – he ends up teaching his audience. It’s inevitable not to walk away without the new perspective of what it means to judge someone before he remembers, “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 39).