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Modern Heroes In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Modern heroes are ordinary people that improve their environment by doing actions most people don’t think to do. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee contains this concept of modern heroes. Lee’s novel is about a young girl’s coming of age during the 1930’s. Racism is a part of the southern white culture at the time. Her father Atticus Finch plays a large role in her morals and shapes the way she narrates the book. Atticus is undoubtedly a modern hero of whose actions reflect what all modern heroes do (to some extent). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee teaches readers that modern heroes frequently commit good acts as opposed to one grand gesture as proven by Atticus promoting good morals, not seeking revenge, and calling for change. Atticus …show more content…

When defending a black man in court, Atticus says, “You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women-black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men” (273). This public defense of minorities is not a seldom action for Atticus. He takes his community members and even his own family mistreating him for defending a black man on nearly a daily basis, but still does it. Due to the fact he is a modern hero, all modern heroes should exhibit this. Another time Atticus demonstrates this is when the trial in which he is defending a black man is drawing to a close. When Atticus is pleading to the jury he makes this statement regarding fairness, “I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of [G-d], do your duty” (275). This seems like standard closing remarks but in this context, it means to judge the case without the racism one would expect from an all-white jury. This is a public defence of minorities, once again, a repeated event by Atticus. Seeing that this is regular behaviour for the prime example of a modern hero proves that all modern heroes commit small acts consistently, to a certain

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Heroes are not invincible, and certainly are not the ones who always win; however, a hero is someone who, despite this, is courageous enough to fight for what is right. Atticus Finch, one of the most inspiring literary characters from the highly acclaimed novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is an example of such. This classic novel is told from the perspective of Scout Finch, Atticus’ daughter, a young girl who lives in the town of Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1930s, a town where prejudice and discrimination is rife. Rather than succumbing to societal expectations and adopting the extreme animosity held by the other citizens, Atticus views and treats all with the dignity and respect that they are entitled to, guiding his

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Atticus is a lawyer defending a “nigger” Tom Robinson. Tom was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. The Hero’s Journey is a prominent theme in To Kill a Mockingbird because the Finch’s made a huge impact on someone’s life that only a hero could do. The Hero’s Journey

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A court is only as a sound as it jury, and a jury is only as a sound as the men who make it up….” (Lee 274). This quote explains a reason, Atticus did help a black man in front of many. If he did not want things to be equal, then why he would help him in the first place. Another example Atticus said, “A nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don 't mean anything—like

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Though people are fond of Atticus himself, his decision to aim for Tom Robinson’s justice causes discomfort, “ ‘Lemme tell you somethin’ now, Billy’ a third said, ‘you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger.’ ‘Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what I don’t like about it” (186). The quote exposes that everyone understand the fact that he is assigned to the case but do not understand as to why he is so intent on proving a black man’s innocence. Since Atticus exceedingly expresses his thought on Tim’s innocence and involves so much of himself in the case with a black person, he obtains negative feedback and gets called a nigger-lover.

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(Lee 144). Another example in chapter 23 is when Atticus tells everyone that even though the jury was filled with ordinarily reasonable men, sometimes things get in the way of that reason. African-Americans have had struggles when compared with whites. Atticus says, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t 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” (Lee 295).

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Mahatma Gandhi once said “A true hero is not defined by their strength, but by their ability to inspire and lead others.” In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee. Lee shares the story of how Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single father of two, defends a color man named Tom Robison who is wrongfully convicted. He defends himself knowing he will get backlash from his home town of Maycomb. He protects Tom from the harsh, racist people of the town.

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Every day in our lives, heroes are all around us. They may not be what society tells us is a hero, like Superman or Batman. They do not wear fancy costumes or have super powers. But these heroes change the lives of the people around them, for the better. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is the charismatic, understanding father of Scout and Jem Finch as well as a hard working lawyer in Maycomb County, Alabama.

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, figuring out the true protagonist is can be difficult because there are so many characters that could be the protagonist. Some people might say that Scout is the protagonist because she is the narrator and also the main character, but that does not make her the protagonist. The next thing that someone might say is that Jem is the protagonist because he changes so much, and he becomes more responsible, choosing to do the right thing more often than not. In reality, the true protagonist is Atticus, and this is because he is the one who tries to pass his values of right and wrong on to Jem and Scout. Atticus always does what is right, regardless of what other people think.

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Atticus lets and African American raise his kids and lets them attend an African American church. Atticus doesn 't treat colored people differently. Atticus strongly believes to love

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He uses this by saying “ there is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie =, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire.” By saying this Atticus is forcing the jury to feel compassionate because they realize their own fault. Atticus also says “All men are created equal, a phrase that the Yankees and the distaff side of the Executive branch in Washington are fond of hurling at us.” When Atticus says this it reminds the jury to have compassion because all men are created equal. Even the black

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Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird famously said in his closing arguments: "You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some negro men are not to be trusted around women- black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and no particular race of men." (pg 232) What Atticus is trying to convey is a foreign concept to most people in Maycomb county. Atticus is trying to convey a point of equality and no prejudice in a world of social inequality which, as one can imagine, didn 't go over so well.

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“‘Naw, Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks’” (Lee 259). On pages 258 and 259 of To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem mentions that he believes there are four different types of people. The ordinary kind, the kind like the Cunninghams, the kind like the Ewells, and the Negroes.

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Through Atticus, the author presents an argument for equality and racial tolerance. All black people were categorised in this era; they were seen as aggressive, untrustworthy and inhuman. This is completely different

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In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee presents a large social atmosphere that includes many different cultures and extremes. The story takes place in the southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. This novel illustrates how the southerners perceived different ideas about each other and social norms. It is told through the eyes of a young girl, Scout Finch, as she is growing up and becoming influenced by societal attitudes. Throughout the course of this book Scout learns many lessons including: how a society functions, why there is conflict between different cultures, and what makes cultures different from each other.

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