Father, lawyer, and friend, the gentlemanly Atticus Finch hopes to shape the character of his children. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is the story of the childhood of a young girl named Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Throughout the book, Scout’s father, Atticus, tries his best to raise her and her brother, Jem, the right way as a single parent. To Kill a Mockingbird exemplifies the way the character of Atticus Finch either uses ritual or abandons it in order to develop certain character qualities within his children. He specifically focuses on the development of honesty, courage, and humility.
Although To Kill A Mockingbird was written in the 1960s, Harper Lee incorporated her views on women and created characters that depicted different views on femininity in the 1930s, like Alexandra who believed in society’s view of a woman, and Miss Maudie, who managed to find a balance between her true self and society’s ideas and images.
Catherine Pulsifer, an inspirational book author, once said, “Your character defines who you are by the actions you take.” In other words, your actions will always speak louder than any words you speak. Honorable actions are what build an honorable character, which is what can be said for Atticus Finch, a character from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch was a righteous and honorable man who displayed many of Kamehameha Schools’ E Ola! Learner Outcomes, used to shape students into culturally, strong servant leaders.
In Chapter 12 of Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many events and situations in which irony is used to support the theme of the chapter. An example of this is in the very beginning of the chapter, when Scout is concerned about how distant and moody Jem is acting, and asks Atticus, “’Reckon he’s got a tapeworm?’” (Lee 153), to which Atticus replies no, and that Jem is growing. This is dramatic irony because the readers understand that Jem is acting oddly because he’s growing, but Scout doesn’t know this until she asks Atticus about it. This quote supports the theme of Chapter 12 by showing when Jem started to grow distance from Scout, getting aggravated with her and telling her to stop bothering him, and shows how the children
In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Atticus is one of the characters who are shunned from the mainstream of the society. Atticus Finch is an unforgettable lawyer and an admirable widowed father of two impressionable children; Jem and Scout. He is a courageous, and a wise gentleman who exemplifies whatever he teaches. Atticus is a very courageous man. He demonstrates courage several times throughout the novel.
Atticus is also very cautious about how he explains certain delicate topics to her, such as when she brings up the issue of rape he says that “Rape was carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent.” (Page 149) explaining it in such a manner that she is still a bit curious as to the nature of rape yet does not inquire further and lets it go. " 'I asked him if I was a problem and he said not much of one, at most one he could always figure out, and not to worry my head a second about botherin ' him.” (Page 249)These lines show how skilled Atticus is not only in comforting his children but also in showing them how much they mean to him. The relationship between Jem and Scout is much like any other sibling relationship, full of love, support and trust.
There were many passages and statements from the text that had great meaning and drew a large impact on both the novel and the reader, but there was one that stood out that would give the reader thoughts, answers, and had a great impact on the book throughout the whole story. In the text, Scout states that "Maycomb was an old town, but a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather streets turned to red slop... Somehow it was hotter then...
To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis Throughout To Kill A MockingBird, by Harper Lee there are many acts of courage. This is shown in Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, and Boo Radley. Atticus shows the most courage in the book but all three of these characters show true courage in some way, shape, or form. Boo Radley showed a lot of courage, but he was not in the storyline as much as Atticus. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is defined as standing up for people and doing what’s right.
Miss Maudie, the Finches neighbor, knows that Atticus is a fair man, but not just her the whole county knows. “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee, 61). This shows that Atticus treats everybody the same no mater where he is. Even when Atticus is faced with a problem he still the same. “Miss Jean Louise,
Imagine one day you wake up and many of your constitutional rights, such as the right to vote, are gone. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Sexism plays a huge role in many scenarios throughout the story. For example, a quote in the novel states, “ ‘Scout, i’m tellin’ you for the last time to shut your trap or go home- I declare to the lord you’re gettin more like a girl every day.’ With that, I had no option but to join them.”(Lee
In the passage Jem and Scout walk home during the dark hours,giving Bob Ewell an opportunity to stage an attack. As Bob Ewell attacks them Boo Radley rushes in to rescue Jem and Scout. After this Scout now understands what Atticus meant it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The killing of a mockingbird is much like killing the innocent. It is beyond a crime and worse than the most heinous atrocities.
In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, the character Atticus Finch is different from the other men of Macomb in many ways. One major difference is him displaying positive qualities not seen in Macomb's other men. It can be argued that Atticus represents a new concept of masculinity because of his personal qualities. There two are qualities that strongly support this argument; Atticus is respectful to all people and he does not do the daily tasks that the other men do, although some people argue that his behavior is only because he is under pressure to set an example for his kids. Atticus one of the few respectful characters in To Kill A Mockingbird which sets him apart from the other Maycomb men.
Not all the Same Equality is a term that is defined as “the state of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability” (Dictionary.com). In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, equality dictates how several characters are portrayed in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, at a time of racism, hate, and prejudice. Because of these topics being such an everyday obstacle for characters like Walter Cunningham Jr. and Burris Ewell, two students at the school, Boo Radley, a scared neighbor that saves a life, and Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly convicted of a crime, the idea of equality has a different effect on each character’s life.
Being black in America has become a curse and a blessing for those who identify within the black community. Most mainstream artists that are successful are black, there is biracial president who identifies himself black, and black culture has become the popular culture. Ironically, there in lies the problem with black culture becoming the dominating culture. Everyone wants to be black until police brutality, racism, and a historical prejudice are brought into the mix. In my group our topic was the title of my paper, “Shades of Grey”: Narratives of Black Experience.
“Courage doesn 't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I’ll try again tomorrow’” - Mary Anne Radmacher. Through this quote one can see the advantages of real courage. One can really understand the true meaning of courage by reading the books To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. The book by Harper Lee is written by a 9 year old’s perspective named Scout.