The Concept of Integrity in To Kill a Mockingbird
How might this incident relate to the concept of integrity?
Modesty can be a form of integrity. Atticus is seen as a well-mannered intellect, one that typically reads in his spare time and is opposed to violence and the like. What readers find out in the end of chapter ten challenges ones thoughts and assumptions about his personality. To be specific, the event that twists the plot is Atticus Finch taking a rifle and killing a mad dog in a single shot. Had Atticus been 'like other residents of Maycomb' it would not have been so shocking but in Scout's eyes, Atticus was a wimp who could never even think about using a gun let alone shooting a dog in one shot. Previously in chapter ten, Scout says to Miss Maudie "Atticus can't do anything…" and later after hearing that Atticus could play the Jew's Harp was 'even more ashamed of him.' This proves to show that Scout was not proud of his father. She knew that other kid's dads all like drinking, hunting and gambling but Atticus did no such thing. Atticus was the complete opposite of the sexist stereotype that Scout believed in; Men like to hunt, fish, play poker, drink and smoke. But Atticus had skills too, he could play checkers and a Jew's Harp, all of which, to Scout, were assets only a girls should possess. Little did she know that Atticus could hunt and that he did so well, other townspeople called him 'one-shot Finch'. Scout's views were changed in three lines. One, “I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years—” This implies that Atticus did indeed know how to use a gun and wasn't bad at it seeing as Atticus was the one he and Scout neighbours turned to in their time of need. Secondly, 'With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous'; a confirmation that Atticus really did know what he was doing. And lastly, 'The rifle cracked.' The final straw, telling Scout that this was not an act, her father, Atticus, was a real big shot. At the same time the real incident that ties this incident to the concept of integrity is
Modesty can be a form of integrity. Atticus is seen as a well-mannered intellect, one that typically reads in his spare time and is opposed to violence and the like. What readers find out in the end of chapter ten challenges ones thoughts and assumptions about his personality. To be specific, the event that twists the plot is Atticus Finch taking a rifle and killing a mad dog in a single shot. Had Atticus been 'like other residents of Maycomb' it would not have been so shocking but in Scout's eyes, Atticus was a wimp who could never even think about using a gun let alone shooting a dog in one shot. Previously in chapter ten, Scout says to Miss Maudie "Atticus can't do anything…" and later after hearing that Atticus could play the Jew's Harp was 'even more ashamed of him.' This proves to show that Scout was not proud of his father. She knew that other kid's dads all like drinking, hunting and gambling but Atticus did no such thing. Atticus was the complete opposite of the sexist stereotype that Scout believed in; Men like to hunt, fish, play poker, drink and smoke. But Atticus had skills too, he could play checkers and a Jew's Harp, all of which, to Scout, were assets only a girls should possess. Little did she know that Atticus could hunt and that he did so well, other townspeople called him 'one-shot Finch'. Scout's views were changed in three lines. One, “I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years—” This implies that Atticus did indeed know how to use a gun and wasn't bad at it seeing as Atticus was the one he and Scout neighbours turned to in their time of need. Secondly, 'With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous'; a confirmation that Atticus really did know what he was doing. And lastly, 'The rifle cracked.' The final straw, telling Scout that this was not an act, her father, Atticus, was a real big shot. At the same time the real incident that ties this incident to the concept of integrity is