Atticus Finch Lessons

As people grow, their way of perceiving how things look, work, and seem change with them simultaneously. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the two main characters, Jem and Scout Finch, live during the Depression Era, where racial prejudices is ubiquitous. Through the lessons of their father, Atticus, and the experience of the notorious trial of Tom Robinson, the two siblings embarked on a mental and emotional journey, which resulted in their coming of age. To begin, Scout and Jem are both reshaped by the lessons taught by Atticus. Atticus Finch is not just an ordinary father to the two, but a man of integrity and good morals who seeks to teach his children significant lessons. Scout, the rebellious and spunky tomboy, is known for being quick to judge
After she complains to Atticus about her seemingly inconsiderate teacher, Miss Caroline, he tells her his golden rule, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view -- until you climb into his skin and walk around it (Lee 39). Scout grasps onto Atticus’s advice, eventually accepting it at the end of the story, where Scout stops at Boo Radley’s porch and stands in his shoes, finally looking at the world through his eyes. Scout merely misunderstands the supposedly morbid and frightening Boo in the beginning of the story, soon to realize that he is an amiable and friendly person. Furthermore, Jem also learns another vital lesson from Atticus: unconditional courage. When Jem fires up about Mrs. Dubose’s cantankerous attitude towards Atticus’ decision to defend Tom Robinson, he reacts by destroying all of her camellia bushes. Instead of blatantly reprimanding Jem, Atticus tells him to read to Mrs. Dubose every single day for about a month. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand” (149). Essentially, Atticus indirectly teaches Jem discipline