The children’s perception of their father changes a lot throughout the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird, going from believing he can’t do things to that he simply chooses not to do them. Towards the beginning of the book, we’re told that “Atticus was feeble; he was nearly fifty.” This quote shows that the children believe that Atticus is very old and weak. They believe that he can’t do certain things because of his age. They think that this is why he doesn’t do the things that other fathers do. This fact is proved shortly after when it’s said that “He did not do the things our schoolmates’ fathers did.” To the kids, this means that he is weak, not that he just has different interests than the other dads. Although Atticus may be old,