Examples Of Atticus Respect In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the 1930’s, especially in the South, corporal punishment was a societal norm, coupled unfortunately with the everyday racism that plagued the southern states at the time. The novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, set in the 1930’s, details the lives of Atticus, Jem, and Scout Finch, an atypical family living in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, having to face the hardships that come with the times they live in. Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, treats them with a rare respect, never laying a hand on either child and never leaving them in the dark about intense societal issues. This parental respect is nearly as rare as the views Atticus holds about equality for everyone, no matter what race or socioeconomic class. Atticus

This great respect is shown most predominantly in the way he speaks with his children, specifically about societal issues. The main conflict in the novel is the trial of Tom Robinson, which is where Atticus displays his respect for the entire town of Maycomb. He takes a case no other lawyer would dare to, defending a black man in the wake of his alleged rape of a white girl, and tries his best to force the jury to view the case from Atticus’s point of view, one of respect. “‘For a number of reasons,’ said Atticus. ‘The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this country in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.’ You mean if you didn’t defend that man, Jem and me wouldn’t have to mind you any more?’” (Lee, 63). In this scene, Atticus is frank with Jem about the real leverage this case holds. Normally, adults in Maycomb at that time period wouldn’t even share the same views as Atticus, let alone discuss them with their children. Atticus shows what is riding on this one case to Jem………. In addition to being frank about the racist issues plaguing the time, Atticus believes it to be important to never keep either of his children in the dark about prevalent matters of that day’s society, even ones that arguably aren’t for children. For better or for worse,

Some may argue that it is damaging to a child to treat them like an adult too early, however, the same can be said about continually babying a child who is old enough to function on their own. While Atticus may error on the side of adult-like treatment at too early an age, it is hard to argue that it doesn’t yield benefits for Scout and Jem. There are upsides that display the astoundingly good nature that Atticus has and tries to pass on to his children. “Jem seemed fascinated by a rose in the carpet. ‘Atticus,’ he said, ‘she wants me to read to her.’ ‘Read to her?’ ‘Yes sir. She wants me to come every afternoon after school and read to her out loud for two hours. Atticus, do I have to?’ ‘Certainly.’” (Lee, 88) Mrs. Dubose asked Jem to read to her, and, despite the countless, awful things she had said about Atticus, he still forces Jem to bend to the woman’s will. Continuing his great respect, even in the face of adversity, is what really sets Atticus apart from his peers. By forcing Jem to read to Mrs. Dubose, however much Jem doesn’t want to, Atticus is modeling the respectful behavior that he hopes Jem will grow up possessing. On the other hand, there are a few adverse examples of the downsides of Atticus’s adult-like respect of his two children. “Atticus said as tactfully as he could that