Archetypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

Introduction: To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee in 1961 which depicts social problems such as prejudice and racism against African Americans in south of the United States in 1930’s. The protagonist in this story is Atticus Finch, a father of two children, a lawyer in Mayacomb city and a hero in defending an African American accused man against the wave of oppression and racism of the time. Atticus Finch characterization by Harper lee lets the reader fully immerse in the story which is told by his daughter, Scout, as the first person narrator.
In this thesis we will examine Atticus Finch character as the main character of the novel to whether he is a “white savior” or not. For determining this matter we should carefully

In classical fictional works a hero is a character that predominantly exhibits goodness and struggles against evil in order to restore harmony and justice to society e.g. Beowulf, Hercules, D’artagnan from “The Three Musketeers” etc.However, in Western Literature there grew another type of a hero, the white savior. We will define and examine the concept of a white savior in English literature then examine Harper Lee’s novel main character, Atticus Finch according to our findings.
Common characters of a hero includes following:The archetypal hero appears in all religions, mythologies, and epics of the world. He is an expression of our personal and collective unconscious, as theorized by Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. All archetypal heroes share certain characteristics. This fact has only come to light this century, after people like Joseph Campbell began comparing mythologies of the

He becomes their leader and savior in the battle against their enemies .Particularly for the epic the saviors is male, heterosexual, and very masculine.( ????? )
One of the most fundamental characteristics of the white savior complex is its ability to establish and spread the notion that Westerners are the solution to African problems. This requires portraying the latter as helpless and endlessly recirculating images only of abandonment and violence, or innocence and primitivism. Another trait of the white savior complex is that unlike the imperial, top-down "white man's burden," it takes place in a virtual space shared by the savior and the people being saved and in a world in which the goals, personalities, and projects of white saviors can be immediately beamed out, commented on, "liked," or retweeted into the worlds of Africans themselves.
After giving definition and expression of white savior characteristics, by using eclectic approach will try to discuss Atticus characterization and his course of actions through the novel to determine if he fits the archetypal description of a white savior character, or he has outstanding traits which make him unique among all other novels in 20st