Character Analysis of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird

Martin Luther King. Malcolm X. Gandhi. These are just a few examples of people considered as heroes. People who choose to put others before themselves despite the consequences they may face. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a white father who is a loving father to his two children who works as a lawyer defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman. It is Mr. Ewell who accuses him of raping his daughter, which shows that even the lowest of white people are still higher than a black person. Bob Ewell is a drunken father of Maycomb’s poorest family. He is very racist and prejudice towards black people and actually lives in an old run down house is the “black part of town.” He and his family do not have much respect from the rest of the town. Even though there is a no chance of winning because of the inequality between whites and blacks at this time, Atticus is rising above the prejudice of society; therefore, he and his children will suffer verbal abuse from the other people in the town. Atticus is a hero because a hero is someone who willingly helps someone in need despite the outcome or consequences that may come.
Atticus Finch is a hero because he is whole-heartedly helping Tom Robinson in a time of despair, even though it means he will have to see his children suffer from his actions. During this time period, white people believe that black people do not deserve the same respect and treatment that the white people do. Atticus will have to deal with the consequences Tom Robinson including his children having to face the rude remarks of people around Maycomb. When Atticus’s children, Jem and Scout are at Mrs. Dubose’s house and she says, “Your father is no better than the niggers and trash he works for (Lee 102)!” Scout and Jem will have to deal with this kind of abuse even though it isn’t their fault. It is quite childish of Mrs. Dubose to say this because she is the adult and should keep her