Modern Heroes In To Kill A Mockingbird

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

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