Atticus Character Changes

We all describe a parent in different ways. Some say that they may be stubborn, idiotic, loving, or helpful. They all differ based on the opinion of the person. An example of a good adult would be from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, His name is Atticus. Atticus is a complex character which means that his personality never stays the same in the book. Throughout the book Atticus changes personalities quite a few times. I’m going to hit on three: caring, courageous, and well-tempered.

In Chapters 1-8 Atticus is a more caring adult to his children than the rest in the town in my opinion. He teaches his children the ways that they should act and how they should speak to certain people. An example of this is when Atticus calmed down Jem by

He changes from not just a caring person but he develops more of a courageous personality. A great example of this would be when Atticus shot the dog Old Tim Johnson. The rest of the town was scared because Tim had become rabid and they wanted it to be a one shot kill. Heck Tate, the town’s sheriff, was afraid that he would miss and the dog would start bolting so he gave the gun to Atticus. In the book Scout says that “In a fog, Jem and I watched our father take the gun and walk out into the middle of the street. (pg.124)” This shows that Atticus was courageous by doing the tasks that the town couldn’t do so that he could protect the people around him. In the last few chapters of the book, Chapters 19-31, Atticus starts to show his well-tempered side. After the Tom Robinson case Atticus gets threatened by Bob Ewell. Bob said that he would find a way to hurt Atticus just like Bob believed that Atticus hurt him. While saying this Bob Ewell spit tobacco into his face. We know that Atticus kept his cool because when he came home he said “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco.” That was all Atticus said about his experience. This shows that Atticus kept his cool and was