To Kill a Mockingbird Final Draft

Epstein 1

Ben Epstein
Mr.Campbell
English 1­2
5 December 2014
Moral Education in
To Kill a Mockingbird
A parent or guardian’s main purpose in raising a child is to pass on strong core values.
Traits that children have, often are strongly correlated to their parents’ traits. Parents strive to have their children inherit the good and fix the bad. A parent can only hope that the lessons they teach their children stay with them throughout their lives. How a parent passes on these traits is also very important. Lessons are forced upon children will never receive as good results if they found things out from themselves.Throughout Harper Lee’s masterful novel
To Kill a
Mockingbird
, Atticus unearth’s his true core values of respectfulness, compassion, and integrity by not only telling his children to model these traits but by showing them why having these traits is important.
Atticus is the most respectful and polite character in the novel. He shows equal respect to all citizens of Maycomb, overlooking their race, wealth, or how “fine” their family is. “He is a skilled lawyer and without making outright accusations in a harsh tone he points out that Bob
Ewell is lying.” (Smith). Atticus does not do what Mr.Gilmer does when he cross examines a witness. Mr.Gilmer was attacking Tom Robinson in a condescending manner to make it seem like he was guilty instead. Atticus, on the other hand, asked Bob Ewell questions with the utmost respect and let the evidence or lack thereof, show how Tom Robinson is not guilty. If Atticus were to yell at Mr.Ewell, he would contradict his entire belief that everyone deserves respect.

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Bob Ewell is despicable and Atticus has every right to hate and attack him, but he chooses to be civil with him. His children know that Atticus thinks that Bob Ewell is nothing better than trash but they see Atticus during the trial, treating him as he would anybody else. Atticus is used to being polite to people he knows do not support his actions. “Excuse me ladies’ he said, ‘Go right ahead with your meeting don’t let me disturb you” (Lee 314). Atticus knows what is being discussed in these missionary circle meetings. He still allows for them to be held in his home with these women eating his food while talking behind his back. These racist, hypocritical women disagree strongly with Atticus’ decision to defend Tom Robinson as best as he could.
Almost all of Maycomb does not agree with him and if all of Maycomb wanted to come to a missionary circle in Atticus’ house he would let them because that is just the type of man Atticus is. Scout witnesses a missionary circle meeting and sees Atticus come in on one without being mad or disrespectful. Atticus insists that Jem follows in his footsteps of being a gentleman. “You just hold your head high and be a gentleman” (Lee 113). Mrs. Dubose was saying very awful and disrespectful things to Atticus’ children. In Atticus’ eyes though, this gives them no right to retaliate at all because she is just an old lady. Atticus makes sure his children show respect to the person that shows them almost no respect. The children also see how mean Mrs.Dubose is when she speaks about their father but Atticus is always a gentleman.
The citizens of Maycomb often struggle with looking through the glasses of other’s perspectives. Atticus, as the moral compass of the novel, showcases compassion to everyone in town and more importantly his children. People of have a great way of hiding their pain but
Atticus is able identify those in need and can feel for their situation. “ Jem and Scout were required to go to Mrs.Dubose 's house daily, for several hours, in order to help her

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through the pain of withdrawal from morphine addiction”(Shaffer).Atticus knows what type of pain Mrs.Dubose was going and sent his children to come help her. Even Jem did not knock over her flowers in her yard, Atticus would have still made them go. The children did not know it at the time but they were the one thing that helping her get through this addiction. Once they find out that she is dead and the truth about why they were reading to her all those days, they realize how important it is to help those in need and show compassion. Atticus also preaches not to hold things against people when at the end of they day everyone has good and bad qualities. “... he preaches to Scout and Jem and never holds a grudge against the people of Maycomb. Despite their callous indifference to racial inequality, Atticus sees much to admire in them”(Spark
Notes). Everything can be looked at in a different light. Atticu strives to look past the bad and look toward the good. Take Mrs.Stephanie Crawford for example, one might assume that she is nothing better than just the town’s gossiper but Atticus might look at her like a social butterfly instead. Atticus does not ignore the bad in others and acts like it is not there, but he sees it then he strives to forgive the bad. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view”(Lee 39). Atticus tries and succeeds in teaching his kids on how to see things from another’s perspective. He often challenges Scour to consider what things would be like if she was another person. Scout struggles with this concept at first with Ms.Caroline but she develops more understanding as the novel progresses. The theme of seeing from others’ perspectives, comes full circle when Scout ends up on the Radley Porch and literally looks through his perspective. Atticus empathy towards others helps guide his children to develop the same virtue.

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Atticus Finch functions as the moral backbone of Maycomb County and is the most righteous character in the novel. He is not righteous just in the courtroom but he is also righteous wherever he goes,especially in his home. “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the streets”(Lee 61). This quote is said by Miss Maudie who does not often get to see Atticus in his own home yet she is able to see that he does not change behind closed doors. Atticus sticks to his values regardless of the situation. This constant righteousness showcased by Atticus offers Jem and Scout a lesson they will never let go of because they are constantly being shown what the right thing to do is. Atticus is a man of honesty and truth.“...he risked everything in order to the truth, and would not let an innocent lie protect his son”(Shaffer). When being told of the events of the Halloween night attack against his children by Bob Ewell, his interpretation of Scout’s recollection leads him to the conclusion that it was Jem who killed Bob Ewell. This was not the case and the person to kill Bob Ewell was Boo Radley not Jem. But before this truth gets across to Atticus, he would not let Heck Tate to cover up for his son’s assumed crime. Atticus would not shy away from what he thought was the truth and refused to lie on the behalf of saving his son from being convicted of murder. This was not the case but if it was Atticus would have been a man of his word. Scout witnesses this discussion and she sees how fiercely devoted to the truth
Atticus is. “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (Lee
100). Atticus could not live with himself if he did not take on the Tom Robinson case. He could not let an innocent man go to jail without a fight. Atticus does not fiercely defend Tom because he is black, he defends him because he is innocent. The weight of the trial is heavy on Atticus’ shoulders but he toughed it out because it is the right thing to do. Jem and Scout see Atticus’

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virtue of keeping justice throughout the trial. Atticus cannot be swayed by Maycomb’s racist winds and holds his virtues strong and instills them in his children to do the same.
Atticus is the moral compass of the novel and he guides his children through
“Maycomb’s usual disease”. Children are very impressionable at a young age and can be turned on the wrong path very easily. Atticus does a fantastic job of keeping his kids off the usual
Maycomb track of racism and putting them on the track that led him to be the great man he is today. His core values of respect, compassion and integrity are passed on to not only his children but also the entire town of Maycomb.Maycomb county may not have been on his side during the
Tom Robinson trial but there is a reason why they keep re­electing him to represent them in the state legislature.

Epstein 6

Works Cited
"Themes, Motifs, and Symbols."
SparkNotes
. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Shaffer, Thomas L.
The Moral Theology of Atticus Finch
.
Notre Dame Law School Scholarly
Works
. University of Notre Dame Law School, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Smith, Nicole. "Character Analysis of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird."
Article Myriad
.
N.p., 6 Dec. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Lee, Harper.
To Kill a Mockingbird
. New York: Grand Central, 1982. Print.

Cited: . SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.  Shaffer, Thomas L. ​ . University of Notre Dame Law School, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.  Smith, Nicole. "Character Analysis of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird." ​ N.p., 6 Dec. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.  Lee, Harper. ​ To Kill a Mockingbird​ . New York: Grand Central, 1982. Print.