Atticus Finch Essay

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To Kill a Mockingbird – Character Analysis: Atticus Finch Posted by talonsjustin on March 01st 2010 to To Kill a Mockingbird The story of To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee revolves around a young girl, her sister and her father. Her father, Atticus Finch, is often reffered to as the wisest person in Maycomb County. Atticus is a lawyer in the town and is able to provide a decent income to support his children. People in the town turn to him when in doubt, and he’ll generally say the right thing for the situation. He is portrayed as a older man with a love for reading, calm decision making and a leader through example. He seems to have the qualities that we have now, not ones that a man in the Great Depression would. And Atticus, while a well known and respected man, seems never to reveal too much of his personal life for the sake of revealing it. If he does, then there is a lesson he wants to teach through that. So far, one of the major plots seems to be about his choice to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, in court. During this era, the residents of Maycomb county and the world in general were still extremely racist towards African Americans. They were considered slaves and not on the same level as normal people. The people who were poorer than the black people (for example: the Erwells) were even respected more. Because of this racism and prejudice, the decision of Atticus’ to defend this man (who would certainly be killed without a lawyer because he is black and the accuser is white) is widely discussed in the town. Atticus seems to take all the criticism and name-calling well and sticks to his belief. Atticus also seems to want to influence his children’s thoughts and attitudes towards colored people by hiring an African-American maid, Calpurina. He pays her a normal wage, one that a white maid would receive, and treats her with the same respect he
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