To Kill a Mockingbird was a novel published by Harper Lee in 1960. The novel won Lee a prestigious Pulitzer Prize, mainly due to Atticus Finch’s role within it. The issues the United States has faced with racism during the 1930s is displayed profoundly within To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus Finch is one of the main characters throughout this novel, displaying many courageous acts that displays his. Finch also displays other spectacular traits, such as intelligence and integrity. Finch teaches others the importance of equality, as well as the basic rights every human being should be, and is, entitled to; including a fair trial. This showcasing of commitment and determination displays exactly why Atticus Finch the American spirit. All of these …show more content…
This is especially true when he decides to take Tom Robinson’s case. Atticus realizes this will be an uphill battle as Robinson is already deemed guilty by the town of Macomb, and now must prove his innocence. Atticus attempts to teach his children another lesson by showing them the wrongs that are committed by the white citizens of the South towards African-American individuals. "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it- whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash" (220). Once Tom Robinson is charge with rape y the Ewell’s, Atticus takes Robinson’s case on ethical grounds based on the stereotypes of Macomb already labeling him as guilty. "The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box" (220). The folks of Maycomb, the white population that is, are quick to judge Tom, not taking the time or decensy to understand him, but merely labeling him as a criminal. However, the black folks of Maycomb are not the only people to be discriminated