Atticus cannot be Simply Summed up as a Racist One line that is always used to describe the early 1900s is “that person is Racist”. This doesn’t truly tell the story of what was going on. A good example of this in TKM when Atticus is bringing Calpurnia home she sits in the Back. To understand this idea a backstory is needed. In TKM Atticus is a lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape.…
Dubose as an evil, cranky, old lady until they are able to spend time with her and learn her secrets. The children thought Mrs. Dubose was incredibly rude, and they did not want to walk past her house because they “would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation regarding our behavior, and given a melancholy prediction on what we would amount to when we grew up, which was always nothing” (Lee 132). Mrs. Dubose judged the children, made rude remarks, and seemed completely heartless. She often insulted Scout for unlady like behavior, and she insulted Atticus, Scout and Jem’s father, for defending and supporting African Americans. It was not until Atticus forced Scout and Jem to read to Mrs. Dubose every day that the children learned Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict who was trying to get clean before she died.…
In To kill a Mockingbird Atticus is extremely authoritative, wise, and experienced. This is shown in his actions throughout the story. For example, he disciplines the children and teaches Scout to read and write at a young age. When he disciplines the Jem and Scout, they listen and take him seriously. Additionally, it takes a very intelligent and experienced person to teach a very young person to both read and write years before it is taught in school.…
As I am reading the story, I am Characterizing Atticus in two different ways. First, Atticus is a good father. One reason that he is a good father is that he is flexible and open minded. For example, most parents do not let their children run around all day without supervision. According to Mrs. Dubose, “It was heartbreaking the way…
In order to give Scout and Jem more accurate and modern views about society, Atticus starts by showing them how to use the tool of empathy in everyday life. Atticus understands the feelings that the people of Maycomb have about his position on race, but he’s still kind and gracious to them because he understands that they each have varying degrees of suffering in their own lives; “Atticus would sweep off his hat, wave gallantly to her and say, ‘Good evening Mrs. Dubose! You look like a picture this evening’”(Lee, 115). Atticus knows quite clearly the opinions that Ms. Dubose has about his profession and on Tom’s trial, but he still takes the time to greet and to compliment her. This is because he also knows about her struggle with morphine addiction, and after putting himself into her shoes, he realizes that her insults are…
Atticus was a whole different person before “‘. . . Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time’” (Lee 112). When Miss Maudie tells Scout and Jem that Atticus used to be the best shot, neither of them could believe it. Their father, probably the most level headed and humble person they ever met had hidden part of his past “Nevertheless, he refuses to use his background as an excuse to hold himself above others and instead is a model of tolerance and understanding” (“To Kill a Mockingbird”).…
Throughout all corners of the world, one can find inhabited in the human soul the rare occupance of courage. This moral compass directs the pathway of doing right, even in the face of danger or fear. This theme is communicated in To Kill a Mockingbird through the characters of Atticus, Mrs. Dubose and Boo Radley. Facing Atticus is the decision to follow through with being the defense attorney of a Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. Mrs. Dubose has a morphine addiction that she fights through even though it’s difficult to overcome.…
Mrs.Dubose is very rude to Atticus’s children and calls Atticus bad names and Jem got very upset so he broke all of her flowers. Atticus explains to Jem:“She’s an old lady and she’s ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it’s your job not to let her make you mad”(133). When Mrs. Dubose is being disrespectful to Atticus and his children, he shows tolerance by accepting the bad names that she calls him and how she is being rude to his children.…
Atticus is the only brave human being, due to the fact that he shot Tim Johnson when Heck Tate passes the gun off to him. When Scout suggests telling her friends at school about her father’s heroic actions, Jem disagrees and replies, “Naw, Scout, it’s something you wouldn’t understand. Atticus is real old, but I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t do anything- I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t do a blessed thing” (131). After Jem witnesses his father’s courageousness, he feels respect towards his father, when he previously thought that he was old and incapable of being courageous. A gentlemen, like Atticus, does not brag about his…
In the text, a mad dog is seen down the road from the kids and Calpurnia calls Atticus and the Sheriff to come handle the situation. When Heck Tate arrives on the scene with Atticus, Heck tells Atticus to take the shot at the dog. This is to the amazement of Jem and Scout who have never seen him with a gun. After he makes the shot, Mrs. Maudie and the neighbors begin to fill the kids with images of Atticus when he…
In today's society is perfectly fine to be who you'd like to be. The judgmental levels with people are dropping; however, some older people still don't believe that you should act any different then how they were raised. In the 1930s there society believed it was inhuman to love or have any form of relationship with another race. Today, gay marriage is legal in all states, where back in the 1930s where the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place this was never thought of. Today our society is laid back, it's not expected to see girls in dresses anymore.…
Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird is one of those rare characters who strives to be a static and consistent - and he ultimately fails. His appearance is unextraordinary and he’s nearly completely unchanging, however as we learn about him throughout the story we discover his true essence and how it could never be properly reflected in his appearance. Atticus’ appearance is quite plain, and in all honesty, it’s what you’d expect a lawyer from that era to wear and look like. If you think of the town in which Atticus lives however, you see that how he dresses causes him to stick out as well as alienates him from certain people of Maycomb.…
Dubose changes throughout the chapter, causing him to mature. At first, Jem believes her to be an “old hell-devil” (Lee, 128); however, that changes when Atticus explained to Jem that he made Jem see Mrs. Dubose because he “wanted [Jem] to see what real courage is” (Lee, 128). Jem’s past interaction with Mrs. Dubose left him seeing her as nasty and mean because she insulted him and his family. He is unaware of the hardships she overcame, but when Atticus explains to him how brave Mrs. Dubose is, he sees her in a new light and begins to mature into a compassionate adult.…
Classism is assumed to be determined by the amount of money a person has. A person’s wallet seems more visible than their heart. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the reader is told about a young girl, Scout, growing up in South Alabama in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Her father is a respected lawyer who is assigned to defend an African American accused of raping a white girl. The trial for the case finally comes up, and the man’s legal status is decided.…
Jem never knew Tom Robinson, but knowing he was wrongfully convicted, Jem stands up for Tom. In To Kill A Mockingbird, another life stereotyped was Mrs. Dubose: an old, frail lady down the road from them. Mrs. Dubose would sputter harsh words at the kids whenever she got the opportunity. One day, though, her negative comments plagued Jem. Mrs. Dubose had insulted Atticus, in which made Jem snap.…