Analysis Of Atticus Finch

The Teachings and Morals of Atticus Finch There are those who teach, and those who learn. When a person learns, new information processes. A new skill could be learned. Lessons in their multitudes can be understood. People can take away different things from these lessons, ideas that can shape them, and change the way they see the world. Whether the lesson be in a classroom, a family living room, or a courtroom where an innocent man is being convicted of a crime he did not commit, lessons shine through. It does not matter where and when. Through the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus, the father of Scout and Jem, strives to show his children the world they live in, and the lessons that can be learned from the life in the small town of Maycomb,

One of Atticus’s strongest morals that he tries to get across to Scout and Jem is that no person should be discriminated against because of the color of their skin. He defends a black man in a rape trial because he knows its morally right, and he knows the man is innocent. He shows kindness and respect to the people of the African American community in Maycomb, and they show him respect as well. He highly dislikes the disrespect that is shown to the African American community, and he very much dislikes the slurs that the people in Maycomb use to describe the people of color. He says of the slur, “‘Scout,’ said Atticus, "nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody’” (Lee 123). He knows the slur is wrong, and teaches that to Scout by comparing the term to “snot nose”, saying that calling names is wrong, and it makes people feel better to call people they do not understand by a common term that everyone can use to taunt. This lesson is one that Scout applies to her life by understanding that people use this term quite a lot in a negative way. Throughout the story, she is never heard saying the word. This is accredited to Atticus, and the his moral of being kind to anyone through words, especially those of different race. Atticus also very much dislikes the hate that is so brutally forced upon the community of colored people. There are many people who are considered of high respect in the town who are very racist, and they set the example for the rest of the townspeople. Atticus says, "’As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something