Atticus Finch's Role In To Kill A Mockingbird

There are roles society places us in, and there are roles we place ourselves in, but the ultimate measure of character is what we do within these roles. Atticus Finch, who appears in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, plays three different roles in his life, and what he does inside those roles makes him the wise, ethical man he is. He is a mentor, a defender, and a teacher. As a mentor, he is a guiding figure to his children and those around him. He is always a voice of reason, and he leads by example. He also has an enormous role as a court appointed defender. Especially in the Tom Robinson case, Atticus gives everyone time to tell their side, even if the outcome looks bleak. He is a teacher to his children as he teaches them right and wrong

There are many instances throughout the novel where Atticus is seen teaching his children about the world around them, and tips on how to flourish in their society. Scout, Atticus’s only daughter, did not understand fully how to demonstrate empathy, until Atticus told her this, ‘“If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.”’ In this quote, Atticus is teaching Scout how to interact with those around her and demonstrate empathy by seeing things their way. Towards the end of the novel, Scout remembers this quote when she is standing on the Radley’s porch, which indicates that Atticus has an impact as a teacher in Scout’s life. Atticus not only teaches Scout about how to interact with other people, but how to better understand her society. An example of this is when Scout says, “Atticus told me one time that most of this Old Family stuff’s foolishness because everybody’s family’s just as old as everybody else’s.” In this quote he is indirectly trying to teach Scout about how, in their society, family means power and status,

He embraces all these roles, and does his best in all of them. He is not a perfect man, and he knows it is not a perfect world, but he tries very hard to be the best he person he can. He is only as wise as he is because of the different roles he plays. They each provide him with distinctive outlooks on