How Is Atticus Finch A Hero

In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author writes about racism during a controversial time through the eyes of a young girl learning to see the world in a new perspective because her father, Atticus Finch, a hero. Atticus challenges the standards of society and teaches his children, Scout and Jem, to see the world in different ways then how society sees people, on a two color spectrum, black and white. In teaching his children both moral and ethical values, he allows them to be children but at the same time to have an understanding of how society works in an adult’s point of view. Atticus Finch challenges the federal court system by taking on a controversial case in a prejudice society that almost guaranteed him to lose.

Although he did not change anything directly, Atticus Finch played a key role in allowing the civil rights movement to happen by enstowing the same moral values he taught his children into the reader, and therefore is a hero.
Atticus is a hero in parenting his children because instead of conforming to society's norms, he establishes moral and ethical standards in both Jem and Scout, so that they can rise above societies standards. The Reverend Thomas Lane Butts describes Atticus’s parenting style by saying that he is “able to instill values in them that are far ahead of their time” (Butts 67). He does this by teaching them to treat African- Americans and all people of society with respect and understanding, allowing them to see the world in a whole new way. When Jem and Scout argue that society is mistreating African-Americans when they convict Tom Robinson for a crime he did not commit Atticus says, “as you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life, but let me tell you something… no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine of a family he comes from, that man is trash” (295). Atticus gives these words of wisdom to explain to Jem and Scout that the federal court system is unjust because the jury is strongly influenced by prejudice white people of the South that did not want change. When Tom Brokaw talks about why Atticus Finch decided to take on the case of Tom Robinson to his daughter, Scout, he states, “Atticus knew he wasn't a perfect man. He tried his best he could to give Scout the big context of what he was doing and why he was doing it” (Brokaw 64). Atticus felt it was necessary to inform his daughter on why he was taking the case of Tom Robinson because he wanted her to understand what was going on in society and that she was going to get mistreated for it and that she needed to be brave and courageous for him. Atticus knew that taking this case would impact his family negatively by bringing unwanted attention to their family from the town. Atticus not only teaches both of his children these moral and ethical values on how people should be treated but he sets an example for the reader to follow in real life as well.
Atticus Finch demonstrates his heroism when he decides to take on a hopeless case of an African-American who was accused of raping a white girl whose father was an outcast to society. When Atticus explains the court system and how it is unjust he states, “in our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man white man always wins. They're ugly but those are the facts of life” (295). Atticus is willing to take on the case of Tom Robinson to do what is morally right and to fight for what is just and what will benefit the minorities of society at the time, but at the same time he knows that he cannot win a controversial case such as this one. He decides to represent it however because he believes, “there’s always a doubt, sometimes only the shadow of a doubt. The law says ‘reasonable doubt,’ but I think a defendant’s entitled to the shadow of a doubt. There’s always the possibility, no matter how improbable, that he’s innocent” (pg 294). He trusts the federal court system and believes that even though the probability of him winning is slim to none, he feels that fighting for an African-American in a prejudice society is the right thing to do especially because Tom Robinson is innocent and he deserves to fight for his life in a just way. Lastly, in regards to Tom Robinson’s case, The Reverend Thomas Lane Butts argues that “here in this novel, you have a person bucking tradition in order to advocate the rights of a person without regarding to color“ (Butts 69). He suggests that Atticus is a hero because he went against the moral and ethical standards of society and fought for a human being who had the right to be treated with respect the way any other human should be. He did this even though people in society only saw people in a two color spectrum, black and white. Taking on the controversial case was an act of heroism because he did what was right and did not conform to society's standards even though he knew his family would be in danger.
Atticus Finch can be seen as a hero because his actions influenced the civil rights movement and forced society to question their morals by taking on a controversial case even though he knew it could endanger his family.

Tom Brokaw describes the Tom Robinson case by saying it was about a, “black defendant wrongly accused in the 1930’s in the white South, there was no more explosive issue than that one” (Brokaw 65). The Tom Robinson case was so controversial because the defendant was accused of raping a white girl in a county where society only saw black and white and not right and wrong giving him little to no chance of winning and fighting for his life as well as his rights. Atticus Finch demonstrates his heroism by taking on such a controversial case with the possibility of ruining his reputation in the town and endangering his family to fight for what is right. Young argues that “he represents a generation of intelligent white lawyers who eventually, in the fifties and sixties, became the federal judges who changed the South” (Young 206). Though his actions do not directly impact or change the laws or societies opinions of African-Americans in Maycomb county, Atticus fought for what was right even though society was against him. We see this when McBride says, “Atticus Finch was a citizen in a town who saw wrong and moved to it, despite what his neighbors thought. It was beyond him doing the right thing” (McBride 138). Not only did Atticus do what was right, his actions influenced the reader to see right from wrong in society as well as lighting the spark to begin the civil rights movement. Miss Maudie describes the verdict of the case as, “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we’re making a step - it’s just a baby-step, but it’s a step” (289). Miss Maudie describes Atticus Finch's’ actions as a step towards justice for African-Americans and

the civil rights movement. His actions not only influenced Maycomb county, but they also influenced readers across the nation to think about their actions and morals and to do what is right even if society is against him.
Though many would argue that Atticus Finch did not do enough for either Tom Robinson or for the African-American community in maycomb county to be considered a hero, he influences the reader to distinguish what is right from what is wrong and to see the world in a new spectrum, not just black and white. Atticus demonstrates his heroism through his children, Jem and Scout by teaching them to treat others with understanding and respect no matter their social standing. He takes on a controversial case in a time when the South saw white as right and black as wrong. He agreed to defend an innocent black man with the possibility of losing his reputation and endangering his family. Although he lost the case, Atticus can be seen as a key factor that influenced the civil rights movement because his actions brought a new light to the reader's perspective of African-Americans and how they should be treated as equals.