Atticus Finch: An Ineffective Parent

Atticus Finch is the parent of two children, Jean Louise Finch, formerly known as Scout and Jeremy Finch, formerly known as Jem in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is considered a role model in the eyes of a parent reading the novel, but what they do not know is how ineffective of a parent Atticus Finch really is. Atticus Finch is an ineffective parent because of his lack of safety for his children and the inability to control Jem and Scout outside of their home. Atticus constantly endangers Jem and Scout into situations they should not be exposed to at such an early age. Without the supervision of Atticus outside the Finch household, they commit acts of anarchy. Atticus Finch is simply a pathetic parent. The lackluster protection

After the pageant had ended, Scout and Jem were walking home in the pitch black when, “Something crushed the chicken wire around [Scout]. Metal ripped on metal and I fell to the ground and rolled as far as I could, floundering to escape my wire prison. From somewhere near by came scuffling, kicking sounds, sounds of shoes and flesh scraping dirt and roots”(Lee 351). The attacker turned out to be Bob Ewell carrying a switchblade. If not for Boo Radley, Jem and Scout were as good as dead. Imagine how Atticus would feel after he realizes he is the reason for the death of his own children. If Atticus would have been a man and went to the pageant, he could have provided protection for his kids from Bob Ewell. Atticus could have been a hero rather than being a coward in his armchair. Atticus could not even provide protection even if he was at the scene. Atticus decided he would stop the mob from killing Tom Robinson on a summer night at the county jail....by himself. Scout, Jem and their friend Dill make the journey to the jail and arrive just as the mob pull up in their black cars next to Atticus. Several men step out, including Walter Cunningham, a family-friend of the

Atticus can not see the bad in anybody. He can not see the bad in how Hitler is, “‘puttin’ [the Jews] in prisons and taking away all their property and he won’t let any of ‘em out of the country and he’s washin’ all the feeble minded’”(Lee 327-328). Atticus is too nice to be an effective parent. If Atticus continues to teach his children that everybody is good, what happens when they encounter the bad people? Atticus’s belief that everybody in the world is good is false. There are bad people. Look at people like Hitler and Bin Laden and find a way they are good people because they aren’t. Effective parents have to expose their children to the bad part of the world because if you only teach the good part, they will not know how to react to the bad part. Atticus’s blindspot is a major factor to why he is an ineffective