Comparative Analysis of Character Morality
To Kill a Mockingbird Final Essay
English 10
McCartney
[60 Points]
Since beginning To Kill a Mockingbird you have studied ethical theory and you have observed characters with careful attention to
their morality – their ethical influences, framework, decisions and actions. Now you will more thoroughly examine the morality of
just two characters, analyzing and comparing them and sharing this analysis by writing it into an essay. Select one character
from Mockingbird and one character for comparison from anywhere else – a book, movie, TV series, politics, sports, your own
life, anywhere. In analyzing the morality of these two characters you will need to answer these central questions: What
influences this character’s morality? How does this character approach a moral decision? How is this character’s basic moral
framework best described (i.e. what guides it, which ethical theory)? How do the moralities of these two characters compare? To
answer these questions you will need to find at least one good example of each character encountering a moral decision and
acting on it. Analyze each of their moral actions by using the tools that ethical theory has given you. Finally, compare them. Are
they morally similar, opposite, or is it complicated? Explain.
Name______________________________________________________
Writing Process (25 pts.)
4
Date_______________________
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1
Brainstorm (5 pts.)
 Completed moral survey for Mockingbird and comparison
characters
 Characters are morally interesting, with relevant moral
examples
Drafts 1 & 2 (10 pts. each)
 12 pt. font, double-spaced, Times or Cambria, 1”
margins
 900-1400 words (or 3-4 pages)
 Gives clear thesis statement (in introduction to state overall
finding on comparison of two characters)
 Gives clear topic sentences (in each body paragraph to state
claim)
 Supports topic sentence of each paragraph with
evidence/example
 Integrates minimum one quote per character (two quotes
total)
Workshops (10 pts.)
 Stays engaged as peer editor & discussant in workshops
 Has updated draft present in both workshops
 Shows in-text edits on peer drafts
 Offers constructive feedback through workshop form and
discussions
Final Draft (20 pts.)
Technical (10 pts.)
 12 pt. font, double-spaced, Times or Cambria, 1” margins
 900-1400 words (or 3-4 pages)
 Includes cover page with original title (MLA style)
 Contains works cited page (MLA style)
 Grammatically sound (e.g. shows evidence of proofreading)
Style (10 pts.)
 Shows improvements through revision over Draft 1
 Contains clear thesis statement (in introduction to state overall
finding on comparison of two characters)
 Contains clear topic sentences (in each body paragraph to
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3
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state the point of that paragraph)
 Supports topic sentence of each paragraph through example
analysis
 Integrates minimum one quote per character (two quotes total)
Presentation (5 pts.)
4
 Reads aloud ½-1 page
 Actively listens to all other presentations
Woodinville High School
3
2
1
Men of Honor:
A Comparison of the Values of Atticus Finch and Rob Roy
Student
English 10
Mr. McCartney
April 8, 2014 When faced with a tough decision, your mind instantly begins to analyze the situation.
Every person’s mind works differently, so some people act differently in certain situations than others do.
Many factors go into your thought process when making a decision. Perhaps you value your own benefit
over all else. Maybe you want to do whatever will make others happy. Or possibly you always want to do
what you think is the “right” thing to do. These factors are what make up your own personal morality. In
this essay, Atticus Finch, the father figure from To Kill a Mockingbird, will be compared with Robert Roy
MacGregor, the leader of a Scottish village in the film Rob Roy. Atticus Finch strives for justice and truth
to always reign supreme, and Robert Roy MacGregor values his honor above all else.
Robert Roy MacGregor is a man living in the Scottish highlands in the year 1713. He is married
with two young sons. He leads a village of 200 people. He is in charge of a band of men who protect and
provide what they can for the village. Robert is a valiant protector, loving father, caring husband, and a
man driven most of all by his honor. He is honest, brave, and strong. As a result, he has earned the
respect of his village. He tells his young boys, “Honor is what no man can give you. Honor is a man’s gift
to himself” (Rob Roy).
As the leader of his village, Robert sometimes has to make tough decisions. To prepare for the
upcoming winter, he decides he will ask to borrow £1,000 from the Marquis of Montrose, in order to raise
more cattle. They come to an agreement, and the Marquis sends his factor, Killearn, to meet with Robert’s
most trusted friend, a man named MacDonald. Meanwhile, the Marquis’s nephew, Archibald
Cunningham, learns of the large amount of coin to be exchanged. He recruits Killearn for a plan to
secretly steal the money. As MacDonald returns home with the money, Cunningham ambushes him, kills
him, disposes of the body, and steals the loan for himself. With the enormous sum of money suddenly
missing, Robert now owes a massive debt to the Marquis of Montrose.
Robert then meets with the Marquis of Montrose to discuss his debt. During their meeting he
discovers that the Marquis has an enemy and rival: The Duke of Argyll. The Marquis offers to come to an
agreement with Robert about his debt, if he swears his allegiance against the Duke. Robert, a man of
honor, refuses to swear against a man with whom he has no quarrel. The Marquis then corners him, as
Robert is not in a good position to be negotiating. Realizing his predicament, Robert pulls out a hidden
blade and puts it to the throat of the Marquis’s nephew, Archibald Cunningham. By keeping him at
knifepoint, he is able to make his escape, but he makes a vicious enemy in the process. He ends up paying
dearly for his decision. Over the next few weeks, Archibald Cunningham and a group of soldiers from the
Marquis are hunting for Robert. He burns his home, rapes his wife, and eventually captures and tortures
Robert, but Robert ends up escaping. He is then able to make allies with the Duke, and proposes a duel
against Archibald Cunningham. The duel is held, and Robert emerges victorious.
Robert suffers for a man whom he does not even know, The Duke of Argyll. He potentially could
have arranged a solution for his debt with minimal negative consequences to himself, but he instead does
what he thinks is honorable. He refuses to defile the name of a man he has nothing against. He probably
realizes the consequences of his action will be great, and they are. However, he would rather suffer than
do something dishonorable.
Atticus Finch is a lawyer from Maycomb County, Alabama in the 1930s. He is the father of two
young children. Atticus is a quiet man who would rather spend time with a good book than with his
neighbors. He is an honest, law-abiding citizen. As a lawyer, Atticus always tries to do the right thing.
Justice is a top priority for him, as well as protecting, teaching, and providing for his family.
Atticus is faced with a moral dilemma when the court appoints him to the case of a man named
Tom Robinson. Tom is a black man, and he is accused of raping a white woman. Alabama in the 1930s is
a very racist society, and it is normal to treat blacks with little or no respect. Atticus, however, does not
accept society’s norm at the time. He believes that blacks are equal as people, and deserve the same rights.
He knows that he will not receive support for his belief, but he chooses to stand up for what he believes is
right anyway. He tells his daughter, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is
no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 76). He did not hesitate for a moment about his decision to take
the case.
Atticus takes the case, even though it is almost a pointless endeavor. He receives no support for his
decision. He stands against the racism of his society at the time, all in defense of his convictions. He holds
himself to high moral standards, and always wants to do what is right, even if it is not profitable for
himself. Although almost nobody wants to be on his side, people like Atticus help plant the seeds of
change in the minds of the people.
Atticus and Rob Roy are two very different characters, from two very different time periods, but
driven by similar ideas. Atticus always wants to do what is right. Robert always wants to do what is
honorable. Serving justice and acting honorably often go hand in hand. To be honorable is to be worthy of
honor, or high respect. Acting in the name of justice is certainly worthy of respect. However, toward the
end of Rob Roy, the desire for revenge becomes one of Robert’s greatest weapons. Archibald
Cunningham has so greatly wronged him, and he wants nothing more than to kill him. It is his pure hatred
of Cunningham that wins him the duel; Cunningham is a far superior swordsman. Atticus, on the other
hand, never lets his anger get the best of him. He is insulted, threatened, and even spat upon, but he never
seeks revenge. But the similarities between these characters are stronger than their differences. They are
both loving, gentle, family men who ultimately want what is best for their families and their communities.
They both have their own set of moral rules established, and probably identify with rule utilitarianism.
These rules they have set for themselves guide them through every decision. When times get hard, they
make a plan and stick to it, doing what they believe is right.
Works Cited:
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Print.
Rob Roy. Dir. Michael Caton-Jones. By Alan Sharp. Perf. Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange.
MGM/UA, 1995. Videocassette.