Atticus proves himself to be a fantastic role model by teaching his children to fight for equality. This is an ideal that is important to Atticus to ensure that everyone deserves to be treated the same. The novel has several examples of this, such as his equal treatment of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a black man who is well liked by most in the community, despite being a negro. One day, however, he is charged with rape and abuse by Mayella Ewell, the oldest daughter of a shallow man, looked down upon by the community. This turns into a court case and Atticus is Tom Robinson’s lawyer. The community is very disapproving of Atticus’ willingness to help Tom Robinson. Everyone around Atticus may not think the same way as him and he cannot change anyone else's opinion but he makes sure to instill these values into his own children and an example of this is shown when Scout innocently asked, “‘Do you defend niggers, Atticus?’ I asked him that evening. …show more content…
Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common’... ‘I’m simply defending a Negro—his name’s Tom Robinson’” (Lee 75). Atticus treats everyone equally and teaches this value to his children as well. When Scout asks Atticus if he is defending a black man, he first tells her not to use the disrespectful word she uses and then tells her that yes, he is defending a black man. However, he does not make it seem like a big deal. That is what puts the most beauty into this quote. He does not make it seem that he is doing anything different by defending a black man. He makes it seem like defending someone black is the same thing as defending someone white. Without thinking twice, Atticus responds that he defends Tom Robinson. Atticus also treats him the same as all of his clients, with just as much respect and works just as hard to defend him. Also, the mere fact that Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man, shows how much he advocates equality. Atticus goes against all odds just to defend Tom