How Does Atticus Change Throughout The Novel

At the beginning of the novel, Jean Louise completely revolves around the thoughts and views of her father Atticus, despite her lack of understanding. Due to the fact that she admires and worships her father’s intelligent and critical mind of a lawyer, she must make the conscious effort to reconcile these perspectives in her heart and in her life, in spite of her confusion. Jean Louise is also very caring of her father’s older age as she considers, “for another thing, flying home meant her father rising at three in the morning, driving a hundred miles to meet her in Mobile, and doing a full day’s work afterwards: he was seventy-two and this was no longer fair” (3). However, Atticus is stubborn and arrogant when she or anyone else attempts

She is upset of his sudden change in character and feels hurt by finally understanding that the one person she trusted and looked up to throughout her childhood has cheated her into believing a certain issue to be right or wrong when it could have been thought of otherwise. She now sees her father as one of her enemies because the father she knew before, the one who fought fairness for blacks and treated everyone equally, is dead to her. This discovery prompts Jean Louise’s desire to see racism clearer. She accuses, “You deny them hope. Any man in this world, Atticus, any man who has a head and arms and legs, was born with hope in his heart” (251). Jean Louise is terribly disappointed by Atticus’s change from defending a black man into someone who doesn’t care to stand against the injustices they encounter now. But in overcoming her disillusionment, she finds new hope as she is ready to accept and understand the perspective of others. Another alter in Jean Louise’s behavior is her calling her father by his name “Atticus”. This demonstrates her lack of respect toward him as she gradually accepts his differences in points of view about racial