How Does Atticus Show Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

778 Words4 Pages

“I do my best to love everybody.” (Lee 112). Atticus Finch lived in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression, and he was a single father of Scout and Jem. He is a lawyer who was court-appointed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was wrongly accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, was her witness in court, but he was the one who abused Mayella. In her classic Southern novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee characterizes Atticus Finch as considerate, equal, intelligent, and courageous in order to reveal her ideas about social justice and empathy. One characteristic shown through Atticus is consideration. He demonstrates how considerate he is throughout the novel by caring for …show more content…

Ewell in court, Atticus shows how wise he is. Atticus had Bob Ewell print his name on a piece of paper, and he then noticed Bob Ewell was left-handed. “You’re left-handed Mr. Ewell.” (Lee 180). This information was important in proving Tom Robinson’s innocence. Since Mayella was punched on the right side of her face, it meant the abuser was left-handed. Furthermore, Tom Robinson lacks the ability to lead with his left hand because he does not possess a left hand. This also disproves Mayella’s claim that Tom Robinson had choked her with both hands. Atticus is intelligent in figuring out the fact that Mr. Ewell was left-handed because it gave the court spectators a reason to believe the real criminal was Bob Ewell. Atticus continues to defend Tom Robinson’s innocence by finding evidence to prove Bob Ewell was guilty. He asks questions like, “But you didn’t call a doctor?” (Lee 169). This proves how Bob Ewell did not care for Mayella, which was his intelligent way of turning the guilt back on Bob. Atticus’ intelligence is proven throughout the novel by defending Tom Robinson in court. One final characteristic Atticus demonstrates is courage, which he shows in multiple settings. He teaches his children about courage,

More about How Does Atticus Show Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird