The Perfect Father/ Lawyer

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Recommended: Describe Atticus as a father

Fathers come in all shapes and sizes. There are good and bad fathers, fathers who are present in the lives of their children, and fathers who are not. In Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird, “Jem” and “Scout” Finch, who are the main characters, are very lucky to have Atticus, a single parent and expert lawyer, as their father. In the small town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930's, life is hard for many people, like Bob Ewell, who has trouble finding food for his children. However Atticus does his best to be the ideal father to Jem and Scout and is the best lawyer to defend Tom Robinson because he is courageous, gentlemanly, and wise.
One of Atticus’s predominant qualities is what gentleman he is. He shows this when he teaches Jem how to be a gentleman and shows an example by speaking with Ms. Dubose:
Easy does it son, Atticus would say. She’s an old lady and she’s ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentlemen. Whatever she says to you, it’s your job not to let her make you mad. Jem would say she must not be very sick, she hollered so. When the three of us came to her house, Atticus would sweep off his hat, wave gallantly to her and say, Good evening, Mrs. Doubose! You look like a picture this evening (115).

This characteristic highlights Atticus’s moral and genuine character. Another instance is at the post office during the trial when Bob Ewell curses him, spits on him, and threatens to kill Atticus: “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco”(248). This was all Atticus said about it, so this shows that he is composed. It is in Atticus’s nature to always be a gentleman and never let other people’s words get to him. This is a skill Atticus teaches Gem over the course of the novel which helps Jem understand what it means ...

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... be a dishonor to his nation. Atticus’s wisdom helps him become the most ideal person to defend Tom Robinson.
Through out the book, Atticus always gives his lessons to Jem and Scout, because of the ideas of what is right in his head. Atticus’s gentleman-like actions help him shield out other’s words, and make him the perfect father for Jem and Scout because he is the perfect role model. Being Courageous factors into the way Atticus acts, for example he took the Tom Robinson case because even he knew he would loose, he still didn’t back down. Atticus’s wisdom is his most powerful quality; because he is wise he becomes the amazing father that we know today. Wisdom also makes Atticus the perfect lawyer to defend Tom Robinson. Because of all these qualities, Atticus becomes the most eligible lawyer to defend Tom Robinson and the ideal father for Jem and Scout.

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