Why Is Integrity Important In To Kill A Mockingbird

Annaelle Petit-Homme

Mrs. Daly

To Kill A Mockingbird Test Essay

May 22, 2023

Integrity, courage, and justice are three words often used to describe Atticus Finch, one of the protagonists in To Kill A Mockingbird. Often times, we value these qualities in people. All three qualities are qualities that people value in their employees, friends, and relatives. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee discusses these qualities multiple times in the novel. They make up the core of the lesson that she is trying to send. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that it is possible to stand up for what you believe in even when no one else does because Atticus Finch follows his conscience and takes the Tom Robinson case, shows

He shows integrity before, during, and after the trial of Tom Robsinon. Tom Robinson was a black man accused of hurting a 19 year old woman named Mayella Ewell. When Atticus accepted the case, he knew that he was not going to win. He acknowledges this when speaking to his brother, saying: “The only thing we have is a black man’s against the Ewells’.” ( Lee 100) Atticus knows that the case is a matter of he-said, she-said, with a jury unlikely to acquit simply based on the color of Tom Robinson’s skin. Yet, despite this, Atticus took the case. He follows his conscience saying, “ This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience–Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.” (Lee 120) Even in the face of racism in the town of Maycomb, Atticus stands up for what he believes in. In the face of a mob trying to lynch Tom Robinson, Atticus stays the night in front his cell and continues on with the case, refusing to drop it. He shows integrity before the case even begins, sticking up for his

He faced two hostile witnesses, unproven accusations from the prosecution, and an incredibly uphill battle for an innocent verdict. Despite all this, Atticus doesn’t nonchalantly defend Tom. Rather, he presents evidence proving that Tom Robinson is innocent and that Bob Ewell is the one who beat his daughter. Atticus points to facts like Bob Ewell is ambidextrous (Lee 202), that Bob had a history of beating Mayella (208-209) and that Tom’s left arm could not have been used to punch somebody (Lee 217). Even though the evidence was clear, Tom was still found guilty. After the trial, Bob Ewell ``stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spit in his face, and told he’d get him if it took him the rest of his life.” (Lee 247) Atticus remains calm during the aftermath of the incident, not spitting back or cursing or getting into a brawl. Instead, Atticus remains collected and goes about his day. He stands firm in what he believes in and makes a greater stand than Bob