‘He is,’ we heard Atticus answer, ‘and don’t wake him up.’ “ Page 151. Another time was when Atticus tried to get them to leave, “ ‘You know what we want,’ another man said. ‘Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.’ ‘You can turn around and go home again, Walter,’ Atticus said pleasantly. Page 39. Atticus takes it into his responsibility to protect someone he knows is an innocent, and he does it even though Tom’s a different color.
To Atticus, withholding violence is one of the highest forms of bravery. The children believe themselves to be brave when approaching the Radley house early in the book, but learn later on that this was false bravery, and in fact, silly. Atticus holds up Mrs. Dubose as the ultimate definition of bravery, as she finds against her morphine addiction in order to be free from it before she dies, even when she knows she will die in the process. Atticus, who also fights against a power greater than himself, tells his children they should have great respect for Mrs. Dubose. Finally, Bob Ewell represents the greatest cowardice, as he both lies in the courtroom to protect himself and resorts to attacking children in the darkness in order to make himself feel more of a man.
He would probably have poured it into his milk glass had I not asked what the sam hill he was doing” (24). After Walter drenched his food in syrup, Cal pulled Scout into the kitchen and scolded her for yelling at Walter. Cal explained that Scout should be polite to guests even if they use a lot of syrup because not everyone eats the same way as the Finches. Like many six-year-olds, Scout is ignorant and thinks that the way she, or her family, does something is the only way to do it. Her ignorance and fear show her immaturity, but are typical for a
Paraphrased Quote: So it took a little girl to stop them and regain their common sense, did it not? That shows me something Tem even the savage beast can be calmed, simply because it has a shred of humanity left. By calling the mob a "gang of wild animals," Atticus is referencing the courage it took for Scout to stand up to the men. It also seems to reference Atticus' belief that racism will eventually disappear. Here a "gang
It's situations such as this that makes me not believe in legal obligation to the extent which Socrates does where it's almost absolute. I do agree with him that one should obey the laws of the land that governs them, but only to an extent. While the law may have been beneficial to you throughout your entire life and got you to where you are today, if it were to wrong you, you should be able to defend yourself. Even though I do share the same belief about the soul being more important than the body and it continuing to exist after death, I don't believe all unjust acts ruin the
During the trial of Tom Robinson, Scout notices that even if Mayella was lying in court during her testimony, “she must have been the loneliest person in the world” (191). Mayella always asked Tom Robinson to come over to her house and help her fix things or chop things down just because she wanted a friend. She was always lonely in the house since her siblings were too young to be her friend and no one in Maycomb wanted to be her friend since the Ewells had a bad reputation. Furthermore, Scout got to literally put herself in Boo Radley’s shoes; a man who stayed in his “haunted” home all day. When she was leaving Boo Radley’s house from walking him home because he had saved her life, she noticed “to her left of the brown door was a long shuttered window.
True Bravery Atticus has taught me many things. One of the more important lessons was that of true bravery. I used to think bravery meant doing things you are scared to do (like approaching the Radley house), but I now realize that that was foolish. Atticus says true bravery means "when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" Mrs. Dubose, Atticus, and even Scout were able to show true bravery. Mrs. Dubose, of course, wanted to quit her morphine addiction, even though it would kill her.
Scout claims that “[Calpurnia] likes Jem better’n she likes [Scout], anyway” and then proceeded to “[suggest] that Atticus lose no time in packing her off.”(25). This shows how inconsiderate and rude Scout is toward Calpurnia. Scout acted rude and insolent to adults and to her peers, talking back to Ms. Caroline, Cal and making her friend Walter “duck his head in shame” (27). This is important because it shows her lack of understanding; she is not mature enough to think
I can relate to Scout in this manner, because I I too am protective over my family, but not as aggressive as Scout. Atticus is called a disgrace and "nigger-lover" a number of times by a number of people. One day in the schoolyard, Cecil Jacobs tells Scout that his family says Atticus is a disgrace and that Tom Robinson should hang from the water-tank (pg 102). This got Scout upset, but it was the only time she walked away form a fight because influenced by Atticus, he told her not to fight anymore and she knew if she did he would wear her out. On Christmas day Scout, Jem, and Atticus visit the Finch's Landing.
This allows the message to sink into the reader. The title of the novel is an obvious indicator to the author’s purpose which is to criticise prejudiced societies and people in the world. The mockingbird symbol is referred to by a variety of characters; from Atticus to Miss Maudie to Mr Underwood who “likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds”. Atticus’s message against harming those who have done no wrong is passed on to his son Jem who advises Scout to let a roly poly bug live “because they don’t bother you.” By doing this, Atticus exhibits that all it takes is the power of one to make a change to overcoming prejudice in people. His courage in defending ‘coloured’ Tom Robinson in a court case and enduring insults such as “nigger-lover,” helped to bring about the beginning of change in Maycomb.