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Who Is The Protagonist In To Kill A Mockingbird

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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. For example, he takes Tom Robinson's case when no other lawyers would. "'I’m simply defending a Negro—his name’s Tom Robinson. He lives in that little settlement beyond the town dump. He’s a member of Calpurnia’s church, and Cal knows his family well. She says they’re clean-living folks. Scout, you aren’t old enough to understand some things yet, but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man.'" Tom Robinson (a black man) was wrongly by Bob …show more content…

" During the trial, Atticus proved that Tom Robinson was innocent, by questioning both Bob and Mayella Ewell. The biggest issue was that the right side of Mayella's face was bruised as if she was brutally beaten, but Tom Robinson's left arm is crippled, and if he hit her with his right arm, the bruising would be on the left side of her face. Jem gets really emotional after the trial because he knows that Tom was innocent and that he was wrongly

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954 Words | 4 Pages

He instills fear in Mayella, therefore she feels obligated to lie during the court trial, blaming Tom Robinson for raping and choking her, causing the bruises along her neck and face. Mayella stutters when being interrogated by Atticus, almost revealing a sliver of truth when she says, “No I don’t recollect if he hit me. I mean yes I do, he hit me” (Lee 248). This proves to Atticus and those viewing the trial that Mayella is indeed untruthful and nervous to deliver answers with her father overseeing her. Because she was present for the court trial, Scout Finch learns that Bob Ewell is guilty, especially after Atticus reveals that Bob is left handed.

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1028 Words | 5 Pages

During the trial, Atticus reveals that, “Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely,”(Lee). Mayella and her father claimed the abuser to be Tom Robinson. As Mayella had been beaten mostly on her left side, Atticus mentioned that Mayella’s father “swore out a warrant, no doubt signing it with his left hand,”(Lee). By showing Mayella’s father’s dominant hand, the newfound information that he was possibly guilty entered the jury’s minds, yet Tom Robinson was still a suspect. To defend Tom, Atticus said that, “Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses-his right,”(Lee).

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689 Words | 3 Pages

When it is time for the trial to take place, Atticus forbids the kids from coming to it. This does not stop the children, however, as they show up and sit in the colored balcony with Calpurnia's, (the maid) pastor, Reverend Sykes. During the trial, Atticus demines the Ewell's credibility by proving that they are lying. During Tom's testimony, Atticus shows that Mayella was the one that advanced on Tom, and when Bob Ewell found this, he beat her. Atticus shows this through a few ways: First, he asks Tom Robinson to stand up and it is obvious that he could not have done it to Mayella; his left arm is a lot shorter than his right arm.

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458 Words | 2 Pages

“Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left…he swore a warrant, no doubt signing with his left hand, and Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses, his right hand.” This dialogue shows beyond a doubt that Tom is innocent by using factual evidence. Atticus takes advantage of the absence of factual evidence to support

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811 Words | 4 Pages

After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.

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401 Words | 2 Pages

The Most Courageous Character The definition of courage is the ability to do something that frightens one, or strength in the face of pain or grief. People all over the world perform countless acts of courage every single day. Many characters in Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird portray these courageous traits also. Many of them performed acts that took great courage to do.

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800 Words | 4 Pages

To illustrate the black community’s admiration of Atticus, Reverend Sykes and the others in the balcony of the courthouse stand when Atticus passes. They show respect and gratitude towards him then and in the next days in the following ways. The fact that Atticus is defending Tom Robinson is a sizable reason why they respect him greatly. In past reading, Atticus shows that he took this case straight to the heart. Though it does not seem true, it deeply impacts Atticus to his core.

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742 Words | 3 Pages

When Scout asks him why he is doing this, he explains that “… if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (75). Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman & one of the children in the (poor) Ewell family. When Atticus is visited one night, he is asked to represent Tom in the case, and Atticus accepts. Representing a black man is a serious thing to do.

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438 Words | 2 Pages

For example, at home Scout is talking to Atticus, she worries they will lose the case. Atticus tells her, “No honey… Simply because we are licked a hundred years before we started is no reason to try to win” (Lee 101). Atticus must think if he can defend a black man, maybe others in the community might treat blacks better. For instance, Scout tells Atticus how Cecil Jacobs says he “defends niggers” Atticus replies, “Of course I do” (Lee 99).

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838 Words | 4 Pages

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 the 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 is specifically focuses on the development of honesty, courage, and humility.

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1637 Words | 7 Pages

When Mayella is stating her testimony, one is able to distinctly tell she is stating a false accusation similar to her father’s. Notably, within her testimony, there were slight changes and flaws in her story; for instance, Mayella’s referring to being struck on the right side of the face holds no ground because Tom is, in fact, unable to move his left arm due to an accident, unlike Bob Ewell, who is proven to be left-handed when Atticus makes him write his name. Regardless, Tom was still found guilty and sentenced to death due to the fact that he is African American. Although the proof was evident, justice was not carried out due to the racist ideals of a close minded community. It can be argued that some of those in the jury might have felt threatened by radicals in the community, which could have persuaded the way in which they decided to vote on Tom Robinson’s innocence, ultimately leading to the verdict that decided he was guilty of a crime he did not

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565 Words | 3 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird Character Analysis In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there are many complex characters. A complex character is a character that goes through a change throughout the story as well as having a variety of traits and many sides to their personalities. One of the main characters, Scout Finch, is a complex character that shows how she can be determined, defensive, and understanding throughout this novel.

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1166 Words | 5 Pages

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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1604 Words | 7 Pages

In chapters 17-24 in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout observe their father in court defending Tom Robinson (a black man) from the accusations of the Bob Ewell (a "low grade ' ' white man). Bob Ewell accuses Tom Robinson of sexually assaulting his daughter; Mayella Ewell. Before the fate of Tom Robinson is given in the possession of the jury, both lawyers have a final attempt at convincing the jury that Tom Robinson should/shouldn 't be prosecuted. Atticus starts off his closing remarks with the fact that he believes that the case should have never come to trial and that the case "”is as simple as black and white."

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830 Words | 4 Pages

Tom Robinson is a young African-American who's been accused of raping and abusing Mayella Ewell, a young and closeted white woman. Racial discrimination is hinted throughout Tom’s trial as Atticus Finch explains to Jem that a white man’s word will always win over that of a black man’s - "... In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life" (220). Atticus explains to Jem that in the courts of Maycomb, a black man’s state of innocence or guilt is truly determined by a white man’s testimony.

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