Atticus Finch as a Role Model in "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Introduction

“Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood” (Stephen R. Covey). The novel is told through the eyes of young Scout Finch to show the perspective of innocence, the destruction of it, injustice, and inequality. The reader learns about Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus Finch, an attorney who hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man unjustly accused of rape and the town's mindset about African-Americans. Atticus is the light in the novel who becomes a good father by telling his children not to be prejudiced towards others, to understand others, and lastly by believing that all people deserve fair treatment. When Tom Robinson, who was black, gets accused of rape, the law claimed his trial verdict as guilty even when there is solid evidence of Tom being the victim, proven by Atticus. In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Lee portrays Atticus as a good role model who teaches his children moral views through his righteous actions that help them undergo many changes in behavior and mature throughout the novel. He demonstrates this by being courageous, honest, and respectful when it comes to treating people with fairness.

Atticus Finch as a Role Model in "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Courage and Integrity

Atticus values everyone and stands up for what he knew was right, which makes him courageous and guides his children to be the same. First, Atticus explains the death of Mrs. Dubose to Jem and Scout and her condition. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus explained to Scout (Lee 149). This quotation can be applied to the trials and how Atticus knows about the huge risk of loss he is taking along with this case, but he still defends Tom. It is because he knows that Tom is innocent and that it would be morally wrong to accuse someone of something that they never did in the first place. He teaches his children not to give up, which can be seen later in the story when Jem refuses to leave Atticus alone with the mob because he wants to help Atticus, even if it is dangerous. Moreover, Atticus spends the whole night protecting Tom because he knows that some people would go out of their way to try and hurt him. He tries to stop people who have weapons in their hands to help Tom, which shows how courageous he is and how far he was willing to go to defend Tom. Atticus defending Tom gives his children the idea of always following the right path and making the right decisions, even if it seems difficult, but it does not mean that it is not possible.

Honesty and Trust

Atticus shows that he is honest with everyone and gains his children's trust in doing so, which is why they confide in him first rather than believing town people. When Miss Maudie says that Atticus being appointed to Tom’s case is “no accident,” and that she thinks “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that” (Lee 289). Judge Taylor appointed Atticus to defend Tom because he was aware of Atticus’s honesty and his ranking as a lawyer. Atticus is one of the most respected people in town due to his honesty and his treatment of other people as a citizen in Maycomb. Furthermore, when Miss Maudie is explaining to Scout about Atticus and praises him, it shows the respect that she has for him. “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets,” said Miss Maudie (Lee 61). This is the reason why the town and his children trust him because of his compromises and honesty. Lastly, when Scout tells Atticus about Cecil and how he says that Atticus is bad for defending a black man. "I'm simply defending a Negro — his name is Tom Robinson," said Atticus (Lee 100). Atticus was honest with Scout and told her he is just defending an innocent person so that she knows that Atticus is defending Tom because it is the right thing to do. Atticus’s honesty brings up the trust that the town people have in him and the faith that his children have in him, which makes the children learn more from Atticus. He shows that honesty is an important ethic to sustain any relationship.

Empathy and Respect

Atticus tries to understand everyone by putting himself in their shoes and teaches his children to be respectful as well and not judge people by their appearances. When Scout complains about going to school due to Miss Caroline’s restrictions on her reading and writing with Atticus, he replies, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39). Atticus believes that Scout needs to see things from other perspectives to understand the reason behind their actions. Jem and Scout learn from this when they finally get to understand Boo’s intentions; they stop tormenting him and respect him staying in his house. Moreover, Atticus addresses Mayella as “Miss Mayella” during the trial to be respectful, but Mayella takes it as disrespect. She says she 'Won't answer a word you say long as you keep mocking me' (Lee 243). Mayella misunderstands Atticus since she has never been treated with respect because the Ewells are perceived like other people in Maycomb town due to their impoverished reputation. Additionally, Atticus explains to his children that Mrs. Dubose "She was. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe... son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her” (Lee 149). Jem tells Atticus that Mrs. Dubose talked bad about him behind his back, but Atticus still teaches them to understand her because he knows about her addiction to morphine and is respectful to her whenever he sees her outside. Atticus’s lessons about respect reflect his morals, which is why the children are equally committed to it throughout the novel.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Harper Lee portrays Atticus as a static character with strong moral beliefs, who uses his values to impact his children positively to raise them in a morally right way. He tries his best to advise Jem and Scout to make them realize their responsibilities, maturity, and equality, along with influencing some of the people in town to speak up for what is right. His bravery teaches them to fight until the very end, honesty teaches them to always speak the truth, and respect teaches them to consider things from others' points of view. The readers get to see all of these traits in Jem and Scout throughout the novel, which shows that even if their innocence was taken away by their society, they still had some positive influence like Atticus around to teach them about good and evil. Atticus is one of the few people who are not influenced by the town people but is an influence in the novel who educates his children on the right morals that they eventually pick up on. To the present day, many people still discriminate against races, but very few see it through and treat everyone with fairness like Atticus. It conveys how hard it is to raise children with upright morals and infers that Atticus is a role model for exposing his children to the racial discrimination of the town.

References

Lee, H. (1960). To Kill a Mockingbird. J.B. Lippincott & Co.

Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press.