Atticus Role Model

Can a small, innocent child be able to develop its own set of values and beliefs and break free from what their society thinks? In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character and narrator, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, learns that the majority of people in Maycomb County, Alabama have the same beliefs. They believe that black people are inferior, dishonest, and unimportant in society. Luckily, Scout and her brother, Jem, have their father, Atticus, to look up to as a role model. Atticus does not follow the common stereotypes of Maycomb. He believes all men are created equal. The one moment in the novel that really distinguishes the Finch family’s beliefs from others is when Atticus agrees to represent Tom Robinson, a black man,
Dubose, there is one other person who has a mentality similar to Mrs. Dubose’s mentality: Robert “Bob” Ewell. According to his testimony, Tom Robinson was the one who raped Mayella, and everyone believes him. The fact that the town believes him absolutely perplexes Scout because her father told her “…the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day’s work in his recollection” (30). Tom Robinson says he would never have raped Mayella, and of course no one believes him, even though most people knew that he was an honest man. Later in the trial, Tom is found guilty. This upsets Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill because they know that all of the evidence proved that Tom was innocent and pointed towards Mr. Ewell. Scout learns that the reason Tom is not acquitted was because he is black. Most people in Maycomb in mid-1930 are racist and prejudiced towards black people. Scout sees the racism, but never really thinks of it until then. From this experience, she started to possess the understanding that all people are created equal. By developing this belief, she is turning away from the common idea that blacks are not as equal to whites and becoming her own
He wants to get revenge on Atticus by hurting what he loves most--his children. On Halloween night, Scout and Jem are walking home from their school’s annual Halloween play when a drunken Bob Ewell abruptly attacks Scout and Jem. Scout recalls the incident and explains to Heck Tate, the sheriff, that “…all of a sudden somethin’ grabbed an’ mashed my costume…think I ducked on the ground…heard a tusslin’ under the tree sort of…they were bammin’ against the trunk, sounded like. Jem found me and started pullin’ me toward the road. Some—Mr. Ewell yanked him down, I reckon. They tussled some more and then there was this funny noise—Jem hollered…” (273). Scout later finds out that Boo saved them from Mr. Ewell, who was planning to kill them. Heck Tate tells Atticus that in the paper they will not mention that Boo Radley saved the children. Scout does not understand why they would not give Boo credit, since he saved their lives. After reflecting on the situation, she figures out that putting the truth in the paper would be like killing a mockingbird. There was a reason why Boo went inside his house and never came out, and acknowledging Boo in the paper would give him a lot of unwanted attention. Through this experience, Scout learns to respect other’s wishes. Also, because Boo turns out to be something completely different from what was expected, Scout