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Emma Richards
Ms. Hengesbach
English 10
October 25, 2012
Respected Man and a Great Father
During the 1930’s racism still played a large role in many southern societies. If a white
man was accused of something terrible the punishment would not be as severe as it would be for
a black man. Throughout the course of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird one of the leading
characters Atticus Finch pushed the racism in the county aside and defends a black man named
Tom Robinson because he knows it is the right thing to do even though it is defying the social
norm. By having important values, treating everyone equally, his integrity, and reputation show
that Atticus is a vital character in this novel.
Atticus Finch is the loving single parent to the main character Scout and her brother Jem.
Atticus proves to be a devoted parent in many ways one example is by passing on his important
values as a human being to his children. Towards the middle of the novel is when Maycomb
county shows its true colors about Atticus defending Tom Robinson. It goes as far as not only
friends and members of the community interrogating Atticus, Scout and Jem that their own
family is beginning to do the same. For instance when Scout, Atticus, and Jem went to Finches
landing(family’s land) for a holiday dinner Scout became very confused about why her aunts,
uncles, and cousins were judging Atticus. Not only was family issues making the entire situation
confusing to Scout, conflict in the county was making her wonder more and more about why her
father was defending a black man also why he was continuing to do it. The words of advice that
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Atticus has for her is “… [everyone is] entitled to full respect for their opinions, but before I can
live with other folks, I’ve got to live with myself” (Lee 139). Another event that makes a good
point at showing Atticus’s important values was the night at the jail when he stayed there to
protect Tom. If Atticus had not been there to protect him the group of men would have killed
him. This proves that Atticus follows his values no matter the odds.
One could use many examples to describe the good qualities of Atticus. To demonstrate
is the way he cares for everyone and treats them equally no matter their background. For instance
an event where this character trait stands out is the point when Scout invited Walter Cunningham
Jr. over for lunch. Scout was watching Walter eat his meal and she found it very odd the way he
was doing it. Scouts reaction to Walter eating his meal showed that she did not yet understand
that people do things differently than she, but Atticus knew very well that everyone is different
and should be shown respect for being themselves. Regardless of the Cunningham’s reputation in
town Atticus treated Walter with the utmost respect as if he were an adult. However another
incident where Atticus demonstrated that he treats everyone equal is when is explaining to
Alexandra his opinion about Calpurnia. Alexandra was doubting Calpurnia’s value as a maid,
Atticus’s response was …’” she’s a faithful member of this family and you’ll simply have to
accept things the way they are…’” (Lee 182). How Atticus replied to his own sister proved that
skin color does not matter and Calpurnia is a important member of the Finch family.
Back in the period when To Kill a Mockingbird was based social class in society meant
nearly everything to the citizens of Maycomb County. Atticus felt differently he did not care
about his reputation much which made his integrity even greater. One of the main reasons why
Atticus was defending Tom was not only that it was the right thing to do but his immense
integrity lead him to do so. Through the next quote a time when Atticus weighs in the reputation
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when making a large decision is explained, ‘” if I didn’t [defend Tom] 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’”(Lee 100). There is another incident when Atticus uses his integrity
to help him make a decision that would affect his reputation. That would be when the mad dog
arrived in the neighborhood. Many of the other citizens wanted Atticus to shoot the dog because
they knew he was the best shot in Maycomb County. Atticus really did not want to shoot the dog
because he did not want people to base their opinions about him from the fact that he was a good
shot.
To summarize, Atticus proved that he has important values, treats everyone equally and
integrity. Examples of all the previous characters traits are shown in events such as the family
argument at Finches landing. This particular event explained Atticus’s values very well. A
important trait of Atticus was the way he treated and reacted to everyone which is indeed
explained through his feelings about Calpurnia. Also a large role in To Kill a Mockingbird
involved reputation which Atticus tried to avoid but was not always easy. Atticus Finch was
definitely a vital character in the novel, without him the main character Scout would have a
completely different outlook on life. He had a great impact on all of Maycomb’s citizens as well
as he taught them all not to be afraid to defy the odds.
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Works Cited
Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird New York Grand Central Publishing 1982