Atticus Finch Monologue
A lot has happened since the day that I stood on Boo Radley’s porch and looked out into the street. I had finally been able to see the world from his perspective. It was on that day that I truly learned that a person cannot be understood until I stood in their shoes and walked around in them. From that day forward, I vowed that I would one day teach my children the wise words that Atticus Finch had taught me when I was a child. Seventeen years have passed since that day. I grew up, married my highschool sweetheart, Stephan Carters, and had two children with him. We had a girl named Eliza Marie Carters who is now 6 years old and a boy named James Atticus Carters who is now 4 years old. Unfortunately, two years after the birth of James, Stephan had died
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from an infection after he had been cut while he was at work. Ever since that day, I have been raising my children alone with some help from Jem who now lived in Finch’s Landing with his wife and children. I had never really wanted to leave Maycomb so I decided to move into my childhood home after Atticus had passed away. It has been almost five years since him and his wise words have passed away. Today was the first day of summer and I sat on my front porch with my two children running around. I stared off into the bright pink and orange sunset thinking of how life could have been different if Stephan or Atticus were still here. It had been a difficult transition from losing both of them but I have learned to somewhat cope. As I looked down from the sunset, I has seen a three children passing by and realized that they were Cunninghams. I raised my hand and waved at them and told them, “Good evening, boys.”
“Good evening, Mrs. Finch,” all three responded at the same time and continued walking to their destination.
Eliza and James both looked at them in disgust and then looked at me. Eliza then asked, “Mama, why do you talk to them?”
I looked at her in curiosity and told them both to come and sit on the porch with me. Once they did, I asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean they are smelly and dirty and gross,” she answers.
“Well, yes they may be, but that is no reason to judge them or treat them differently.”
“But mama they’re different than us and they are poor.”
“Sweetie, they do live under different circumstances than we do, but that is alright.
Not everyone is the same. That’s what makes the world so beautiful. We can talk at one person and learn one thing from them and talk to another and learn something completely different.”
She tilted her head and said, “I don’t understand, mama.”
I looked at her and chuckled and said, “For a while you won’t understand. It takes years of meeting new people and learning that they all have something of value to teach us. One day you will learn this.”
“Mama, but what if I don’t want to talk to them, because they are different and weird,” said James.
“Well, let me tell you what a wise man had once told me when I was around your age. He once told me that, ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view,’ and I didn’t fully understand this until one day. The same will happen to you. One day you’ll realize that these words ring true.” “Mama, can we have them over for lunch one day,” Eliza asked still unsure of the words that I had just said. “Yes. One day during school you can invite them over. Now, go off and play before it gets too
dark.”
They both got up and I hugged them and kissed them on the forehead. I let them go and allowed them to run around while the words of Atticus Finch ran through the back of their mind. I looked back up at the sunset and smiled to myself knowing that I would have to repeat those words multiple times before they fully learn and understand the truth behind those words, but I was delighted that Eliza had wanted to learn the lesson.
from an infection after he had been cut while he was at work. Ever since that day, I have been raising my children alone with some help from Jem who now lived in Finch’s Landing with his wife and children. I had never really wanted to leave Maycomb so I decided to move into my childhood home after Atticus had passed away. It has been almost five years since him and his wise words have passed away. Today was the first day of summer and I sat on my front porch with my two children running around. I stared off into the bright pink and orange sunset thinking of how life could have been different if Stephan or Atticus were still here. It had been a difficult transition from losing both of them but I have learned to somewhat cope. As I looked down from the sunset, I has seen a three children passing by and realized that they were Cunninghams. I raised my hand and waved at them and told them, “Good evening, boys.”
“Good evening, Mrs. Finch,” all three responded at the same time and continued walking to their destination.
Eliza and James both looked at them in disgust and then looked at me. Eliza then asked, “Mama, why do you talk to them?”
I looked at her in curiosity and told them both to come and sit on the porch with me. Once they did, I asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean they are smelly and dirty and gross,” she answers.
“Well, yes they may be, but that is no reason to judge them or treat them differently.”
“But mama they’re different than us and they are poor.”
“Sweetie, they do live under different circumstances than we do, but that is alright.
Not everyone is the same. That’s what makes the world so beautiful. We can talk at one person and learn one thing from them and talk to another and learn something completely different.”
She tilted her head and said, “I don’t understand, mama.”
I looked at her and chuckled and said, “For a while you won’t understand. It takes years of meeting new people and learning that they all have something of value to teach us. One day you will learn this.”
“Mama, but what if I don’t want to talk to them, because they are different and weird,” said James.
“Well, let me tell you what a wise man had once told me when I was around your age. He once told me that, ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view,’ and I didn’t fully understand this until one day. The same will happen to you. One day you’ll realize that these words ring true.” “Mama, can we have them over for lunch one day,” Eliza asked still unsure of the words that I had just said. “Yes. One day during school you can invite them over. Now, go off and play before it gets too
dark.”
They both got up and I hugged them and kissed them on the forehead. I let them go and allowed them to run around while the words of Atticus Finch ran through the back of their mind. I looked back up at the sunset and smiled to myself knowing that I would have to repeat those words multiple times before they fully learn and understand the truth behind those words, but I was delighted that Eliza had wanted to learn the lesson.