Sam Crawford Oct.6, 2013
It is a good question that needs to be answered. Is Atticus a good parent? In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee demonstrates that Atticus is a good parent. For instance in chapter 2 pg. 21 Scout asks Atticus, “Atticus, are we poor?” and Atticus says, “We are indeed.” This shows that Atticus is honest with his kids no matter what the subject is even if they are a little too young to hear stuff like that.
Another way that Harper Lee shows how Atticus is a good parent is when he and Scout are talking about alcohol and she asks him if he drinks like a lot of the other people do and he says that he doesn't, which shows that he is responsible about the decisions that he makes and also he more mature than most of the alcoholics that live my them or around them.
One more way that a Harper Lee show that Atticus is a good parent, is when Jem breaks Mrs. Dubose’s flower pots, he makes him go and apologize to her and when she tells him to go to her house and read the magazine for her Atticus tells him to go and do it he tells him to do it showing that he is telling him that all the choices that you make will always follow you for the rest of your life.
Atticus realizes that losing his temper with Jem and Scout over small incidents is not part of the qualities of good parenting because, throughout “To Kill a Mocking Bird,” he does not lose his patience with his children. While on the other hand, there is suspicion that Bob Ewell does the opposite by beating Mayella Ewell, his daughter. From the beginning itself, Harper Lee makes it clear, through a conversation between Miss Maudie Atkinson and Scout, that Atticus does not treat his children like Bob Ewell does
He tries to lead Jem or Scout, through discussion, to seeing what it is that they have done wrong and why it is wrong. The strongest lesson he taught dealt with how he treated people. He was fair to all. The trial of Tom Robinson taught his children some of the hardest lessons in their lives. He knew that his children were growing up in a time of horrible treatment to blacks and through his example of giving his best defense to Tom, even though he took a lot of abuse over it, and not keeping secrets from them about the situation made him a great father.
This is how Harper Lee demonstrates how Atticus is a good parent and how he loves, cares and is a role model but is not only teacher of his kids but is also a father of them.
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