TKAMB Essay

Literary Studies

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
By: Nathan Romano

05-12-13

Literary Studies

05-12-13

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay
Nathan Romano

Period: H

Atticus Finch, an upright lawyer from the state of Alabama, is one of the most honest and moral characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. His character remains, for the most part of the book, unchanged. As a lawyer, Atticus portrays everything that someone working in the justice system should. He is fair, does not hold hard feelings, and looks at every situation from many angles. As Miss Maudie once said, “Atticus
Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (87). He is the same person in his house than the one in public or the courtroom. Atticus is one of the most inspiring characters in 20th century literature. A morally upright lawyer, committed and loving father, a citizen that is highly admired by most of the citizens in Maycomb, Atticus sticks to his beliefs and always tries to do the right thing.

Not only does Atticus plays a role of an amazing father and mentor to his children, but he is also a leader in his community. Atticus portrays an ideal male role-model, a person that people follow and believe in. As a result, Atticus will try to eradicate racism from
Maycomb. He will try to change people’s judgmental perspective about blacks because he knows that if he is successful, he can cure Maycomb’s usual disease. However, he knows that he will lose Tom’s case, and that’s why he explains Jem and Scout what is courage from his point of view. "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" (124).
Atticus demonstrates mental and physical courage when he engages in the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape. He knows the

Literary Studies

05-12-13

consequences that going against the town can bring, but he still does it. Atticus knows that he will not win the case, and like Mrs. Dubose in her battle against morphine,
Atticus will be “licked” before he starts. However, Atticus knows that Tom is innocent and that he must fight for him, since no one else will. Atticus’s powerful sense of morality and justice motivates him to defend Tom with power, determination, and perseverance.

Atticus has one mission in mind, and he will give all he has got to achieve it. He wants the people of Maycomb, whether they believe it or not, to hear the truth about Tom. He tells his friends, “That boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till the truth is told” (195). Atticus shows true physical and mental courage when he goes against
Maycomb, a very prejudicial town, in order to defend Tom and what he believes in. He knows that taking the case would make him an object of criticism and that no one would ever forgive him for believing a black man’s word rather than a white man’s. Even
Atticus’s own family disapproves of his decision. Atticus does not care how much his reputation suffers, and he does not “pass the cup”. Standing up for beliefs is more important than what people think about him.

Furthermore, Atticus shows physical courage when he goes to the jailhouse to protect
Tom from a lynch mob. He goes there as quickly as he could without thinking it, not even for just a moment. He knows he could have been badly beaten. Here Atticus explains to his children that Mr. Cunningham is not a bad man, but he “was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man.... So it took an eight year old child to bring him to his senses, didn’t it?.... That proves something---that a gang of wild animals can be

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05-12-13

stopped, simply because they’re still humans” (210). This is one of the most powerful quotes throughout the novel, first of all because this shows that Atticus explains the things as they are to his children. He would never lie to them. He takes a bad situation and turns it in to a teachable moment: he emphasizes the importance of standing in other ones shoes in order too explain the point that he is trying to make. Atticus is without a doubt a brave man for going to the jail when he could be greatly outnumbered by Mr. Cunningham’s gang. However, Atticus is a forgiving man, he does not condemn the farmers in the mob. Instead he understand the situation that they are in.

In conclusion, Atticus demonstrates tremendous physical and mental courage. He manifests admirable courage and leadership through the method of teaching his children---not by winning fights or killing anyone, but by standing up for what he believes in in a civilized way. Atticus steps out of the status-quo because he believes that is important to live by his principles and moral values, that he shows through words and actions. Harper Lee provides the reader with an unforgettable character, a lawyer and amazing father that has the courage to step out of the mold and be different than the rest.