The Role Of Atticus Finch In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

The United States of America is a grand place with many different features, and it needs grand pieces of art to describe it. When Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird was published, it was quickly deemed as one of those great pieces of literature. It was no coincidence that the novel about the childhood memories of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch was so fitting of the title, as it near perfectly exemplified some of the biggests issues Americans grapple with today and and provided many dynamic, detailed characters. Perhaps one of the most important characters within the novel is Atticus Finch — lawyer by day and caring father of Scout and her brother Jem by night. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Atticus Finch’s sagacity, perseverance, and kind-heartedness to represent the role of those who are fighting for the well being of others.

In general, the adult population of the American South in the early 1900’s was poorly educated, and the resulting lack of significant intelligence opened the window to show their absence of wisdom in many areas.

Luckily, Mr. Finch wasn’t like the majority; throughout the novel he showed that he was a sagacious man who often knew what the best choices in a situations where and when to act upon them. For example, when there was a dog with rabies posing a threat to the residents of his street, he had felt hesitant to put the dog down because he hadn’t “shot a gun in thirty years” (Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird 127) and he was morally against killings things that he had been given an unfair advantage to. However, he made the wise decision, and saved the neighborhood from the danger the dog brought. As wise as Mr. Finch is, he has bound to have learned many important lessons throughout his life, and one of the most important ones he has learned is about

perseverance.
Life throws many obstacles at all of the beings contained within it. Naturally, those beings can become discouraged by the difficulty of getting past those obstacles. However, the more fortunate of us learn that — regardless of what the challenges presented are — we must persevere through each experience in order to create a more favorable future; fortunately, Atticus Finch is well aware of this. In perhaps his strongest words in the entire novel, Atticus Finch claims that “sometimes we have to make the best of things… this case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience” (Lee 139). Regardless of the prospects of success in the case, Mr. Finch was looking for small victories, and he found them in three areas: the first one being a slow shift in the white Maycomb community’s opinion on African Americans, the second one being showing the kids that he was an honorable and good man, and the third one being in showing kindness to the Maycomb African American community who had been shown nothing but animosity from the other white people.
A kind heart can make a very positive difference in the lives of many, and their presence is essential in balancing out the immense amount of hatred many people experience throughout their lives. Fortunately, Atticus Finch has one of those kind hearts, and does his best to show it to the people in his life that need in the most. In the course of the novel, the one he shows the most kind-heartedness and care to is Tom Robinson — an African American man who was falsely accused by Bob Ewell of sexually assaulting his daughter and doomed to execution for such false crimes — by making sure he was well protected and did him favors during the time he was being held while waiting for trial. For example, shortly before the court date of Tom Robinson’s trial, Scout found Mr. Finch “sitting propped against the front door [which Tom Robinson was behind]. He was sitting in one of his office chairs, and he was reading, oblivious of the nightbugs dancing over his head” (Lee 201). In the quote, it is clearly implied that Atticus Finch has been reading to Tom Robinson during the night to give him something to listen to while he suffers through being trapped in a room without anything but the fear of his grim future. While it might seem to be just a small act of kindness, it is truly a huge gesture that symbolises his sympathy for Tom Robinson and all others who suffered discrimination on the basis of their skin color.
Atticus Finch may not be the main protagonist of To Kill A Mockingbird but he definitely plays a very noticeable and important role in the development of the narrative and showing the more caring side of society in the 1930’s. Through Mr. Finch, Harper Lee showed how people can be prudent, tenacious, and compassionate even when so many around him are ignorant, rude, and wicked. Throughout the book, he was fighting for what he believed in — equality and fair treatment for all — despite the strong opposition from many of the members of community. By doing what he felt was right, Atticus Finch made a lasting and positive impact on Maycomb society, and portrayed to all readers a very important lesson. If one is smart, determined, and caring, then they will have a positive effect on society — just like Mr. Finch.