Atticus is portrayed as an exceptional father in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mocking Bird. An exemplary father is someone who is a role model. Being a paternal figure is important because as a parent, you should guide your children to live a healthy life. During Tom Robinson’s trial, people expressed hatred towards African Americans because he was accused of raping a white young lady named Mayella. Due to this event, Scout was surrounded by people using the n word. Atticus made sure that Scout doesn’t use offensive language. Since Scout wasn’t aware of certain topics, Atticus taught her about rape and how it isn’t right due to the significance of consent. He also shows compassion and sympathy throughout the story towards Jem and his trial. Atticus shows his support by giving Jem a trial. …show more content…
In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Scout is in an environment where they use the n word as an insult. One day, Cecil Jacobs approached Scout and told her that her father defends “niggers.” Scout didn’t understand what that meant until she came home and asked her father, “Do you defend niggers Atticus? I asked him that evening. Of course I do. Don’t say nigger Scout, That’s common” (75). This citation shows that Atticus is showing Scout the rights and wrongs on moral grounds. Through this quote, Atticus condemns using offensive words and defends Tom Robinson. In terms of being a father, Atticus doesn’t want Scout to use bad language and doesn’t want his daughter to discriminate anyone. This shows how he isn’t judgmental towards African Americans. Although this mindset affected his reputation, he didn’t care about what others had to say. He said and did things from his own