In the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee takes on the malignant impact of racism, a deeply rooted problem, from a different perspective and teaches readers what it truly means to be a good person as she brings to life one of the most virtuous characters in American literature-Atticus Finch. Told through the eyes of a young child, readers learn about the heavy prejudice embedded in the people of Maycomb County and the loss of innocence that is brought upon the kids as a racial conflict spurs a series of significant events in their quiet town. Taken place during the early years of the Great Depression, Maycomb must face its biggest problem-racism. Atticus Finch is the lawyer who defends this case and ultimately brings a …show more content…
Atticus Finch displays true moral courage when he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, an innocent black man unjustly accused of raping a white woman. He strives to instill justice, righteousness, and acceptance in his fellow citizens. In a discussion with his kids, Atticus says,“before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” (Lee 105). He doesn’t care that the citizens of Maycomb, including his own family, look down on him now because he is defending a Negro. Their disapproval does not stop him from upholding his ethics and morals. He ignores the insults, threats, and ridicule thrown at him and his family like the gentleman that he is. Atticus is, without a doubt, a man of great integrity and is willing to do the right thing even if the majority goes against him. Another important type of courage Atticus models is his physical courage. To protect Tom from the angry mob, Atticus sits outside Tom’s cell ready to defend him. He was “propped against the front door...reading” as Tom slept unaware of the danger coming (Lee 151). Although it means risking his own safety, Atticus lives up to his principles. He feels it is only right to protect Tom because he is, after all,
Atticus’s and his courage “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway” - John Wayne. In to kill a mocking bird, courage is seen all through the book. Many characters throughout the book have shown great courage. However, we discover that Atticus is an outlier through his personality, actions, and words.
Atticus Finch, her father and a lawyer, is defending Tom Robinson a black man who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. This is during the times of segregation and racial discrimination. The novel represents the importance of setting high moral values, as it teaches us that inequity against others often results in the occurrence of social/emotional
He put his family and himself in danger. When Atticus received news that they were going to move Tom Robinson to another jail, he knew something wrong was going to occur to Tom Robinson. “I thought he would have a fine surprise, but his face killed my joy. A flash of plain fear was going out of his eyes, but returned when Dill and Jem wriggled into the light.” (Lee 203).
Genuine Mockingbird The truest mockingbirds are ones who symbolize strength, empathy, and a good heart with acceptance. They also have to show fortitude and bravery toward the world without thought. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird strength is led by Atticus Finch, the father of six-year-old Scout Finch.
TKAM ESSAY There are many characteristics in humans that are truly remarkable, some are rarer than others, some better than others, one example of a rare and remarkable characteristic is courage. One might define courage as when a person goes into a task and odds are against him/her, but he/she still puts forth all of their effort. Many people believe that they have courage but when it comes down to it they crack under the pressure and don't know what to do or how to look at it from a different angle. For example, In To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee, one of the main theme revolves around courage. This characteristic is not only shown through Atticus taking the court trial but also in other characters in other stories such as the Emmett
The book To Kill A Mockingbird has many aspects and topics to view the characters upon. However, the largest is courage. Courage shapes the personality of characters and causes events in the story. There are many examples of courage in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. However the most prominent ones are those of Atticus, Scout, and Boo Radley.
The creative novel of To Kill A Mockingbird carries the reader the year of 1933 and shares the hardships experienced by two kids in quiet Maycomb County. As the flare of racism catches on, tempers flare and opinions grow out of control, the main characters (Scout and Jem Finch and Dill Harris) must sustain their beliefs and gain the courage to fight off their attackers. Harper Lee truly reveals that courage is a factor won by wisdom not by force throughout her book to Kill A Mockingbird with the help of his characters of Scout, Mrs. Dubose and Atticus. Scout Finch, Atticus’ daughter, experiences the rising tension of different opinions, even at her school and is forced to choose between fighting or being wise in multiple instances. Atticus
Atticus knows he is right: he defends an innocent man. This puts his own life at risk, as well as the lives of his children. His moral bravery is as strong as his physical bravery, which is also demonstrated in the novel.
He also shows courage by shooting a mad dog. Atticus Finch is a lawyer and a single father of two. He shows respect to his children as if they were adults but also understands that they make mistakes. Atticus shows courage by not giving up on his morals when challenged by others.
Atticus showed the most courage in the book by standing up for what he believed was right. He took the case to defend a black man who was accused of rape by a white girl. Back in the day most of the courts were run by white people and when black people were accused of a crime they would not get a fair hearing. Tom Robinson was the man who was accused of rape and Atticus was defending him. Atticus knew that
Atticus knew that Tom’s life would be at risk if he was left alone at night in his cell, so Atticus brought his lamp and newspaper and waited with Tom during the night. While reading his paper, Walter Cunningham and his lynch mob appear in the darkness, “You know what we want, another man said, get aside from the door Mr. Finch”(Lee 172). Atticus stands his ground, knowing they were going to murder Tom; Atticus explicitly tells Walter and his gang to leave. After a long confrontation, Tom finally speaks, “They gone?,”(Lee 175) and Atticus calmly says, “Get some sleep Tom, they wont bother you anymore”(Lee 175). Atticus’s strength and courage kept Tom Robinson alive that night; without his courageous act there would have been a murder just because of someone’s skin
Being the gentleman that he is, Atticus removed his hat and offered his finger and helped the child down the stairs. This shows Atticus being courteous even in a private situation. In addition to being courteous, Atticus is also courageous. Atticus shows his courage when he accepts to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a
Atticus 's strong sense of morality and justice motivates him to defend Tom with vigor and determination, giving it all he 's got with one mission in mind. He wants the people of
To defend a Negro in this situation takes courage. Atticus abides by the trust and duty given to his role and does everything to bring the evidence of Tom 's innocence in front of the jurors. He questions the truthfulness of Bob Ewell 's statements even though he as a white man is accusing a black man. Atticus shows that a man shall be judged by his deeds and not by his colour or social status and risks the community 's furore, insults and threats. He is insulted of being a Nigger-lover by adults, children and even by his own family.
Atticus defies what is common and does what is right throughout the story by his actions. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch throughout the story demonstrates many characteristics including being brave, fair, and thoughtful. Atticus shows his bravery throughout the story by doing what is right no matter what happens and doing