Why Is Atticus Finch Important In To Kill A Mockingbird
Maycomb; a town of unequal rights for blacks and whites; typical in the 1930s. The setting of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird fits just perfect to an atmosphere of hatred towards African Americans. Moreover, what is unexpected in this setting is someone who looks past skin color and to self worth; someone who stands up for blacks. That person is Atticus Finch; father to the main characters Scout and Jem, and lawyer in Maycomb County. Lawyer in the Tom Robinson rape case, Atticus, a white, defended a black, never before seen in this society. However, even with losing the case, Atticus by himself sparks a new idea in the minds of the civilians of Maycomb; equal rights. In addition, Atticus also throughout the book has a family to take care of. He displays himself to his children as an example to look up to; an example that will lead to change society. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is displayed as a character of exceeding knowledge in a better society, that shows high virtue in defending Tom Robinson in the trial, but his care for his children also allows him to teach them in the ways that he seems society fails to show.
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Early on in the book, Atticus shares his wisdom with Scout when she explains him why she shouldn’t go back to school, and he shares a bit of his wisdom.
Likewise, he states,”First of all,” he said,”if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, 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 into his skin and walk around in it.” What this means is that you can never know what a person is going through or their circumstances until you put yourself into their shoes. Scout uses this tip throughout the book, with understanding the trial’s true meaning and at the very end picturing how Boo Radley sees life from his porch. Furthermore, this shows just a little bit of what wisdom Atticus Finch has developed in his
life.
Atticus shows extreme endurance through the Robinson case, and along with that he shows virtue towards African Americans; nonexistent in the United States in the 1930s. When Atticus announces his participation in the Tom Robinson case, he got lots of hate from Maycomb citizens. Even though the majority of the population of Maycomb didn’t believe that he’d win, he still put all of his time to defending Tom. The end result, while not exactly what he wanted, was still “a baby step, but a step” as stated by Maudie. Atticus stayed virtuous throughout the whole entire trial; he was fighting for the rights of men, and not blacks. Henceforth, he looked past race and looked at the heart.
After it is found out that Boo Radley was the one that brought Jem back to the house, Atticus and Sheriff Heck Tate threw back and forth theories of how Bob could have been stabbed. Atticus repeatedly mentioned how Jem should get the truth but he doesn’t want the wrong truth. As Atticus walked back in the house, he stopped by Boo Radley and said “Thank you for my children”.
All of the attributes that Atticus Finch holds proves one thing; he is a man of great virtue. His outlook on life is exactly what not only Maycomb, but all of society needs to realize. Atticus shows his wisdom to his children with his simple teachings of how to treat people, and how to judge people correctly and morally.
Early on in the book, Atticus shares his wisdom with Scout when she explains him why she shouldn’t go back to school, and he shares a bit of his wisdom.
Likewise, he states,”First of all,” he said,”if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, 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 into his skin and walk around in it.” What this means is that you can never know what a person is going through or their circumstances until you put yourself into their shoes. Scout uses this tip throughout the book, with understanding the trial’s true meaning and at the very end picturing how Boo Radley sees life from his porch. Furthermore, this shows just a little bit of what wisdom Atticus Finch has developed in his
life.
Atticus shows extreme endurance through the Robinson case, and along with that he shows virtue towards African Americans; nonexistent in the United States in the 1930s. When Atticus announces his participation in the Tom Robinson case, he got lots of hate from Maycomb citizens. Even though the majority of the population of Maycomb didn’t believe that he’d win, he still put all of his time to defending Tom. The end result, while not exactly what he wanted, was still “a baby step, but a step” as stated by Maudie. Atticus stayed virtuous throughout the whole entire trial; he was fighting for the rights of men, and not blacks. Henceforth, he looked past race and looked at the heart.
After it is found out that Boo Radley was the one that brought Jem back to the house, Atticus and Sheriff Heck Tate threw back and forth theories of how Bob could have been stabbed. Atticus repeatedly mentioned how Jem should get the truth but he doesn’t want the wrong truth. As Atticus walked back in the house, he stopped by Boo Radley and said “Thank you for my children”.
All of the attributes that Atticus Finch holds proves one thing; he is a man of great virtue. His outlook on life is exactly what not only Maycomb, but all of society needs to realize. Atticus shows his wisdom to his children with his simple teachings of how to treat people, and how to judge people correctly and morally.