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How Does Atticus Finch Change In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Recommended: Racism In American Literature

Hanna Clasen
Mr. Flanagan
AP English 11
February 28, 2017

Atticus Finch Life in the 1930s was hard for most people. In the South, it can be considered a time of racial segregation and injustice. However, in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch presents himself as a compassionate, wise, and courageous individual, making him an admirable leader in Maycomb County. Atticus is a man who is not affected by what other people say or think about him. He represents morality and reason throughout the novel, constantly looking for the good in people, and is not affected by the prejudices of the town.
During the 1930s racial tension was high, especially in the South. This made living in Maycomb County, Alabama, hard for a man like …show more content…

He has a very strict set of morals and beliefs he upholds, and doesn’t let the influences of Maycomb County change them. He believes in doing the right thing, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do, or if it means the other townspeople will look down on him. It is more important to Atticus to be able to accept himself and the choices he makes rather than to get the approval of others by doing something he believes is morally wrong. “I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man… before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” (Lee 104). This is one of the reasons he works so hard for Tom Robinson. Atticus knows that Tom is not guilty and wants to give him the best shot at proving his innocence, because he knows it is the right thing to do. Throughout Atticus’s time working on Tom Robinson’s case, he did not see him as a man of color, but as an innocent man. Even though Atticus knows he will lose the trial, he does everything in his power to prove that Tom is …show more content…

He works hard to be a good father and set a good example for his kids. When it comes to parenting, Atticus Finch treats his kids like his equal. For the most part, he gives Jem and Scout independence to make their own decisions so they can learn based on their experiences. He believes in teaching his kids what they did wrong and making them fix it instead of punishing them. He is also brutally honest. “Truth is how Atticus understood who he was, both personally and as a citizen of Maycomb, so that not telling the truth would have caused him to lose his grasp on who he was, to lose control of himself, to suffer personal disintegration, and to lose his way among the people with whom he lived” (Shaffer 190). Atticus honestly answers any question Jem or Scout ask him. He wants his kids to know what is right, not what society might teach them. “His telling of the truth is also how he is able to imagine the sort of community he seeks to protect for his children and his neighbors” (Phelps 927). One of the big lessons that Atticus teaches Jem and Scout is that “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 30). Atticus wants his children to consider all points of view and sides to a story before judging someone or acting on what someone says to

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Furthermore he defends a black man in court. At the time (and maybe still even now) Maycomb, Alabama, is from our perspective a really racist county, and in this culture it takes a lot of courage to go against the tide and not to judge a black man merely of his skin colour or origin, but instead to put his worries before ones own. Most people in Maycomb, who believe black Tom Robinson is innocent, also believe that there is no chance of winning the case and they lack the courage to risk getting a bad reputation with nothing to gain from it. Atticus is probably the only one whose moral views forbid him to look

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He is showing that no matter the race you do what is right. No matter the opinion of others, if you know something is wrong, stand tall and take charge. This is a positive role model where his kids can follow in his footsteps, look up to him and understand the rights and wrongs of things. Lastly, Atticus says, ‘’’I wanted you to see what real courage is... it’s when you know you 're licked before you begin

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He knows the rest of the town will disapprove, but he believes in the innocence of this man and does not care of his complexion. In this moment, Scout and Jem only see how everyone will downgrade them and see them differently. Atticus shows, it does not matter what others think, all that matters is that you support what you believe in. This shows how Atticus is a strong character who contributes a lot to the overall lesson

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