Atticus shows that his words are not empty, and he practices what he has taught his children. Atticus conveys empathy for the minorities around him, such as the Ewell family and the Negroes. Tom Robinson, a black man, is being represented in court by Atticus. Atticus empathizes for Tom who is wrongly accused of taking advantage of Mayella Ewell, a poor white women, and tries his hardest to win the case for Tom. After losing the trial and humiliating the Ewells in the process, Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father, spits in Atticus’ face and threatens to get even with him. Atticus, feeling sorry for Mayella, takes this incident and uses it as a lesson of empathy for his children. Atticus says, “ Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed every thread of credibility at that trial, if he he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always do. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there” (292-293). The lesson of empathy is supported largely through Atticus, and his ways with Tom and the Ewells. To sum up, Atticus’ inspirational experiences convey greatly to his children, and help to better them for the rest of the…
149). Atticus uses his intelligence throughout this novel his intelligence throughout this novel. The second trait that Atticus displays in this novel is admiralty. One of the many times that Atticus shows that he is amiable in To Kill a Mocking Bird is when he thought that Jem killed Bob Ewell-- the mean racist town drunk who has a grudge against Atticus because he defended Tom Robertson against the rape charges that he was facing —he did not try to hide it or cover it up. Another reason why Atticus is an easterly admirable person is the fact that he is the same in his house as he is in public. Ms. Maudie said “’Gracious child I was raveling a thread wasn’t even thinking about your father, but know that I am, I’ll say this: Atticus Finch is the same in his home as he is on public streets”’ (Lee. 61) the amiability that Atticus has shown throughout this novel only goes to show people what a wonderful man he…
Atticus has a great set of rules to live by. He thinks that all men should be treated equal, and that you should never judge people because you have to walk in their shoes first. For example,…
Atticus Finch is an extremely independent lawyer. He is defending Tom Robinson while the rest of Maycomb is against it. He never second guesses any of the decisions he commits. The way he parents Scout and Jem is different than other normal parents. He almost treats them like adults instead of children and never lies to them. Anything they ask, is answered with complete honesty. Atticus believes in justification and that everything should be fair. Even though the evidence is stacked up against Tom Robinson, Atticus does the best he can to defend an innocent man. Atticus is one of the only characters that aren’t racist, even when he goes to Helen’s house, which means he is the only white man to kindly spend time in a black community.…
He tells them what they need to know, but not too much because he wants to keep them children. Atticus is a wonderful father for keeping his children innocent and making sure they are safe. I can tell that no matter what, he will always care for his kids and for the most part put them first. Not only is Atticus caring, he is wise. Atticus states, “They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they are entitled to full respect for their opinions.” (Lee 139). When I read this quote I can understand that Atticus is wise beyond his years by listening to other opinions and trying to understand where they are coming from. Most people are drastically affected by an opinion of them, but Atticus is not phased at all. Instead Atticus says that they deserve respect for even forming their opinions. No matter the grief that he receives Atticus always fights for what is right. In the book he says that helping Tom Robinson is something he has to do in order to face anyone. He knows that Mr. Robinson did not commit the act he is guilty for and even though he will be judged for taking the case he needs to do what is right. Atticus always speaks the truth, even if it is difficult. When asked what rape is from…
He intentionally makes time to spend quality time with Scout and Jem, and he has a deep passion for the equality of the blacks. Being a lawyer, he was assigned a case to defend Tom Robinson, a gentle and kind slave, from an accusation of rape on a poor teenage girl. Atticus truly believed in Tom’s innocence, and diligently made his case for Tom’s freedom. When the jury determined Tom guilty, seemingly on a prejudice basis, and sent him to prison, Atticus still did not give up hope, “Not time to worry yet, Scout. We’ve got a good chance.” (293) Despite the odds, he still showed passion, and maintained a hopeful outlook on Tom’s…
He is always doing his best to set a good example for them. Especially with Boo Radley, Atticus tells his kids how Mr. Radley has the right to stay inside his house and maybe there is a good reason for doing so. Atticus values others while on the other hand, people in Maycomb such as Stephanie Crawford make up and spread rumors about Mr. Radley. Also, on Scouts terrible first day of school, Atticus gives her some great advice that not many people would have thought of. While many of Scout's classmates complain about how bad Miss Caroline is, Atticus explains to Scout how she should look at things from Miss Caroline's perspective. It was her first day in Maycomb and should not be expected to know everything about the town. The advice Atticus gives has much more value to him rather than society.…
Atticus treats and views everyone as the same, which influences others around him and makes an impact. Some of the people that he has the largest impact on are his children, Scout and Jem; because of this, the lessons learned do not go unforgotten. Atticus shares his wisdom many times throughout the book; one of which is when Scout comes home from school upset because of witnessing the way Mrs. Caroline reacts to the previous events “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand…
Atticus believes in treating people fairly. For instance on page 100 Atticus says the reason he defends tom robinson is “I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this town’s legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or jem not to do something again”. This is an example of how Atticus treats Tom Robinson equally no matter the color of his skin by defending him like how he would defend a white man when the rest of the town will despise Atticus because of it. Also on page 39 Atticus and scout are having a…
In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, Atticus teaches his kids many lessons. One of them is “If you just learn a single trick, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” This is Atticus’s way of teaching his kids that you cannot judge people without knowing them from the inside out and that there is always more than how you view a person from the outside. This trick especially helps his daughter, Scout.…
Right off the bat, Atticus is a wise, understanding individual and a caring soul who is concerned for others’ rights. This is first seen when Scout is trying to convince her dad to let her stop going to school because Scout doesn’t like her teacher. Atticus tells Scout, "You never really understand a person until…
Unlike his brother, Atticus is an expert in dealing with little children. His wise and firm opinions and deeds have had great influence on the characters of Jem and Scout as the novel proceeds. Miss Maudie says that “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets”. He deals with Scout and Jem as if they are adults. For instance, he does not hesitate to answer Scout's question about the meaning of "rape", and he makes deals with his children and is committed to them. At the same time, Atticus understands that Jem and Scout are still children and they are bound to make childish mistakes. He finds excuses for their bad deeds and that makes him more patient with them than his sister Alexandra. For example, he says to her when she criticizes the language Scout uses that "bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn they're not attracting attention with it." Atticus is eager to teach his children good values and practices through people’s mistakes and poor behaviour and their own mistakes in real life situations rather than by giving them instructions. He does not rebuke or punish Jem and Scout for attending the trial of Robison or for secretly following him to the jail where Robinson was kept. He is always aware of what his children secretly do. For example, he has known that it was Jem at whom Mr. Radely once shot his gun. Yet, he frequently draws their…
Atticus Finch tries to live a model life, unaffected by the prejudices of others. Atticus cannot support a principle that he knows to be unjust and immoral. He quotes “Before I can live with other folks, I've got to live with myself." He defends Tom Robinson even though he knows that, as far as the community is concerned, Tom is guilty even though they have not heard the true facts of the case. When Atticus’s brother Jack suggests Atticus find a way out of taking the case for Tom Robinson, the principled Atticus replies, "But do you think I could face my children otherwise?" Further, he explains that, in his idealism, he does not want his children to grow up with "Maycomb's usual disease." Atticus knows the real type of the men sitting on the jury and he knows he will lose, but he also knows that he has done the right thing in defending Tom. He didn't just take the case and go through the motions; he fought as well as he could, using his moral strength to lead him. Atticus remains ever the gentleman as he interrogates Bob and Mayella despite their false and lying statements. Bravely, Atticus does not compromise his duty and integrity as he defends Tom against the Old Sarum Bunch who approach the…
Ultimately, this confronts the concept of good and evil in humanity. Because of Atticus's strong beliefs about white and black equality, he takes the case of defending a black man against a white woman. Atticus tolerates–and even embraces–the hate he experiences and teaches his children to do the same. "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (Lee, 39), Atticus says. He says this to discourage Scout from picking fights with another child, but this can apply to the way Bob Ewell harasses the Finches after the trial was over. Atticus handles problems with grace, like a gentleman, and hopes his children will do the same in the face of…
As made evident, it does make sense for Atticus to take a stand and defend Tom Robinson because of his belief in upholding and embodying the ethical precepts of the Golden Rule, understanding that his actions must reflect this in all aspects of his life, and his courage and integrity allowed him to set an example for his children, who looked upon his actions as a quintessence of an ethical person, both as their father and as a lawyer. Exemplified in the narrative that rivets itself on the choices we must all make in our lives, we as humans have the power to make decisions can advance and contribute to our society, and ones that can tarnish and impede its progress. Atticus proves that even when the odds are stacked against us, we must still make the choice that we believe is righteous, regardless of how difficult it may be. His actions, and the implications of his decisions, prove how choices motivated by morals and values can not only change the world around us, but reflect the type of person we really.…