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Why Is Atticus Finch Important In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a story based in small-town Alabama during the early twentieth century. The small town is called Maycomb. The main character, Scout, takes us through the story learning how evil people can be and is showing us how racist this society is. This book has many kinds of people shown to us by Scout and her family. She shows us that her father keeps a secret to protect her and her brother, that Mayella will lie to the whole town to keep herself safe, and that some people really do deserve to get what's coming to them, like Bob Ewell. There are people in this book that are evil. One of them is Atticus Finch. He is not really evil but keeps secrets from his kids that change their future. There are very few times in this book where this happens. Like when the kids finally found out that Atticus is a really good shot with a gun. Miss Maude said.“Forgot to tell you the other day that besides playing the Jew’s Harp, Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time.”(129). Atticus kept this a secret from his kids to try to protect them. Jem wanted a gun from the start of the book, but Atticus …show more content…

When Mayella lied to the court and won her case against Tom Robinson because she was white, it shows that the town is very racist and is willing to kill because of it. Lying might make life easier but can really, really hurt someone. When Tom was killed, his wife had to fend for herself and her two kids. The church did help them but how long could the church pay for someone to live. There are a lot of reasons why Mayella could have just told the truth. When Mayella and Tom were in court, Mayella If she told the truth, Tom wouldn't have died, his wife and kids could still live the way they always have. Even though people can get hurt by others, but there are easy steps to change that, people can just be honest and tell the

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The book To Kill a Mockingbird took place in the 1930’s in a tired old town called Maycomb. Racism was at its highest, while jobs were at its lowest. The story is told in the perspective of the main character Scout Finch a 6-year-old girl. She shows the readers how the good people of Maycomb are hurt with the bad of Maycomb. Scout demonstrates this by putting many characters through many obstacles.

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301 Words | 2 Pages

it’s something you wouldn’t understand. Atticus is real old, but I wouldn’t care it he couldn’t do anything—I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t do a blessed thing . . . Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!’” (130-131).  Although Scout wants to brag to the whole town about Atticus’s skill in shooting, Jem realizes that since Atticus had not told them before, and tries not to bring the subject up, he probably had not wanted them to know about it.

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901 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 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.

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699 Words | 3 Pages

In the book, Atticus Finch help Tom Robinson in court proves that he is not guilty of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. In the book it also shows the backfire the Finch ’s get from the trial. The trial itself shows how one cannot one's appearance are deceptive of their true self. Many innocent people are judged harshly because what they look or what the people they surround themselves with look like.

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786 Words | 4 Pages

Atticus Finch is a well-known resident of Maycomb County. He is a lawyer, father, widow, and is related to most people in town (Lee 5-6). His relationship with his children is so vital, and it’s a good theme of the novel. Family is obviously very important to him and his children.

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271 Words | 2 Pages

In the story To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch is largely characterized in chapter 10 and 11. To begin, Scout reveals he is fifty and that Atticus, “did not do the things our schoolmates’ fathers did: he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the livingroom and read.” (10.89) These things show that Atticus is down to earth and didn’t have children until later in life.

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1201 Words | 5 Pages

She has gotten used to the abuse of her father when he was drunk. Her answer to Atticus’ question helped her gain sympathy. Mayella Ewell was seen as a victim through the whole trial. Since she was a woman, people only saw what little innocences any Ewell could have. Mayella Ewell's gender gave her the power of Tom

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1009 Words | 5 Pages

Tom Robinson, a black man with a crippled left hand, is an outcast in society due to the color of his skin. When accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a traumatized white girl, the town views him as an abomination to society. As Tom’s defense lawyer, Atticus Finch calls out the town on their racial judgments as he states, “...confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption-the evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings…” (Lee 232). A majority of the white community believes that Tom is a monster due to the color of his skin, therefore, when he is accused of raping Mayella, this intensifies.

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631 Words | 3 Pages

He is a compassionate person and was only trying to help Mayella with her chores when she came up and tried to make a move on Tom even though he did not do anything wrong. Mayella takes advantage of people and their Achilles heels. Mayella does not give compassion to others; accordingly, she is not entitled to compassion. Compassion could be described as “a mental state or an orientation towards suffering” (Jazaieri). Compassion is an empathetic feeling that is able to detect when someone is feeling down or is undergoing a challenging situation.

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Not only did she not get her desired way, but she was probably going to face further consequences from the law after lying in court Atticus finally knows the full truth about what happened, so decides to expose Mayella of her lies and show everyone that Tom is

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1237 Words | 5 Pages

Smash! As the gavel read guilty on a charge of rape for Tom Robinson, this is not the only instance in the book To Kill A Mockingbird where it showed important character traits useful to everyday life. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, Scout and Jem Finch’s father, have a growing interest about society. They develop an understanding most grownups do not understand through multiple experiences in their life, such as the mystery of Boo Radley, which the kids have tried multiple times get him to come out of his house. During this time, Atticus, is defending Tom, who will later be shot and killed trying to escape from prison after a guilty verdict.

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888 Words | 4 Pages

Showing them the harsh reality of life with honesty and fearlessness. During this time the Great Depression was hitting the southern town of Maycomb. This novel compares many of its characters to mockingbirds, a symbol of pure innocence. One summer, Atticus, who is a lawyer, finds himself in the middle of a controversial case, involving a African American man, Tom Robinson and a white woman, Mayella. Despite the town throwing hatred towards Atticus and his family, he doesn’t back down because he takes pride in helping the innocent.

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915 Words | 4 Pages

Option 2 Literary Analysis To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel set during the 1930s in a small town in Southern Alabama called Maycomb. The story is told through the narrator, Scout, a young girl who lives with her father, a lawyer, and her older brother Jem. As a child, Scout is portrayed as a stubborn and obnoxious little girl who loves to read, play with her brother Jem, and fantasize about her mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. However, her life gets turned upside down when Scout’s father agrees to do something that is deemed unacceptable in the south; he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping a white girl. Instantly, Atticus and his family go from being respected and beloved by their town, to being

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1049 Words | 5 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird there are lots of racial, gender, and religious, discrimination. Which is shown a multiple amount of times throughout the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee which takes place in Maycomb Alabama, where there is a lot of racial discrimination. But there is also some gender, and religious, discrimination.

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730 Words | 3 Pages

By saying this, Mayella reminds the jury that as men, it is their job to protect their women. So even though they may not think Tom is guilty, they convict him anyway for

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