Atticus Finch Research Paper

By dictionary definition a hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievement, or noble qualities. Even though Atticus Finch may not exuberate outstanding achievements or show off his courage, he still has noble qualities that make him a hero. Atticus Finch is no common hero, he does not save cats from trees or stop bank robberies, instead he tries to stop racial prejudices and attempts to change the views of the people in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. In the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is assigned a case that will change his life and others’ lives forever. He is to defend Tom Robinson, who is a black man that has been accused of raping a white girl. Even though it is obvious Tom Robinson did not

Kindness and Compassion is a hero trait that Atticus exhibits. Atticus is always teaching Jem and Scout to be kind and considerate to others. After Scout beat up Walter Cunningham at school, she came home and talked to Atticus. Atticus said, “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” (Lee 33). He wants his children to understand how and why other people live their lives the way they do. Atticus does not want his children to be hateful or mean to others just because they are different. He always says something that really gets to Scout or Jem and changes their point of view. Atticus knows that in order to succeed in life, you have to be kind and show compassion to others. Next, Atticus exemplifies compassion when Bob Ewell spits on him. Surprisingly enough, Atticus keeps his cool when Mr. Ewell spits on his face. When Atticus comes home and the kids are very worried, Jem asks why did you not do anything to stop him. Atticus responds with, “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's

He definitely shows his cleverness and smartness in the courtroom. First, when Heck Tate is testifying he says that Mayella has a blackened right eye, which most likely means that a left-handed person hit her. Then, when Mr. Ewell comes up to testify he asks him to write his name. Bob Ewell is left-handed, which means there is a possibility that he could have punched his daughter. Scout says, “Atticus was trying to show, it seemed to me, that Mr. Ewell could have beaten up Mayella. That much I could follow. If her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left-handed person did it. Atticus knows that he can use his experience and cleverness to trick Bob Ewell into admitting something that could help Tom. Then, Atticus shows his intelligence when he is talking to Scout. Scout had a bad first day of school and she says that the teacher said she could not read or practice her writing anymore if she wanted to come back to school. Being the clever person Atticus is, he comes up with a compromise, in which he can read to Scout, if she does not tell anyone and continues to attend school. He tells her, “If you’ll concede the necessity of going to school, we’ll go on reading every night just as we always have. Is it a bargain?” (Lee 35). Atticus is able to solve the problem by simply coming up with a compromise. This shows that Atticus is clever, just like a