Atticus’ daughter, Scout, has great respect for her father.
Atticus said, 'If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-'
'Sir?'
'-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.'"
This quote shows the special bond between Atticus and Scout. It seems as though Scout learns so much more from her father than she does from anywhere else. Atticus teaches Scout important things that she does not acquire from school, such as social skills and basic information about life. Scout listens carefully to Atticus, which shows she has much admiration for him, and that she values his advice.
When Atticus’ children misbehave, he uses good parenting skills to teach them right from wrong. For example, when Atticus catches Jem, Scout and Dill role-playing out Boo Radley’s life he says to them,
'So that's what you were doing, wasn't it?'
'Makin' fun of him?'
'No," said Atticus, "Putting his life's history on display for the edification of the neighbourhood.'
Jem seemed to swell a little. 'I didn't say we were doin' that, I didn't say it!'
Atticus grinned dryly. 'You just told me,' he said. 'You stop this nonsense right now, every one of you.'"
Atticus is rarely very stern with his children. The fact that he is being stern shows that his opinions toward the Radleys differ from the children's opinions. This leads to the conclusion that in Atticus' eyes the Radley’s are not bad people. This creates tension in the novel because of the different views expressed about the Radley’s.
Atticus is a great teacher. In comparison, we see how Atticus’ brother, Jack, treats children.
"Atticus said, 'You've a lot to learn, Jack.'
'I know. Your daughter gave me my first lessons this afternoon. She said I didn't understand children much and told me why. She was quite right. Atticus, she told me how I should have treated her-oh dear, I'm so sorry I romped on her.'"
This reflects on the way that Atticus is able to look after his children and them appreciating his guidance. Atticus is a single parent who has to bring up his children on his own. On the other hand Jack has no children and doesn’t know how they should be treated. Here we see Uncle Jack admit that Scout has taught him a lesson. The way that Atticus brought up Scout imparted wisdom beyond her age. In this situation, she is wiser than Uncle Jack who is a grown man. She is much like Atticus: she has a way of explaining things to make others understand.
Atticus treats everyone the same, even his children who are much younger than him. He gives them as much respect as he would an adult. An example of this is when Atticus told Jem that as a punishment for ruining Mrs Dubose’s flowers, he would have to read to her everyday;
'She was a lady. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe.... You rarely win, but sometimes you do.'" (Chapter 11)
This new knowledge that Atticus gives Jem educates him. He did not understand why Atticus made Jem read to Mrs Dubose. We realize that Atticus has a good reason for this, as he has a good reason for almost every action that he takes. We also notice that he lets the children see things for themselves. The last two lines in the passage serve as an analogy to the Tom Robinson case. This shows that Atticus realizes that he is not expected to win, but he will still fight for justice. This helps the children see the real courage that Atticus possesses.
In chapter 12, Calpurnia, the Finches’ black African American maid takes the children to her church. Jem and Scout experience a whole new world here. When they tell Atticus about it he seems interested.
“I told him in detail about our trip to church with Calpurnia. Atticus seemed to enjoy it.”
This creates the impression that Atticus wants his children to mix with other races. It also shows he holds little prejudice.
In the court case we see many qualities in Atticus but in chapter 17 the reader sees his intelligence. When Mr Ewell starts writing on the back of the envelope he asks,
'What's so intrestin'?'
'You're left handed Mr. Ewell,' said Judge Taylor."
This gives the impression that Atticus most likely believes that Mr. Ewell could be a suspect for the crime. Atticus must have thought that Mr. Ewell would lie about being left handed, so he cleverly set Mr. Ewell up. This leaves the reader in a state of distrust in Bob Ewell.
Atticus is a very truthful man. When he gives out his lecture at the end of the case the reader sees that everything he says is fact.
"'The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is.'" (Chapter 20)
Atticus' strong lecture proves what a good lawyer he is. He gives a lesson to everyone in the courtroom, including his children and the reader. This speech must have taken a lot of courage, but to Atticus, it is worth it because the truth will be told.
After the court case the children go and speak to Miss Maudie. She tries to make the children have a better understanding of the whole situation.
“I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.”
This helps the reader respect Atticus for what he did, because the reader realizes that his job was an extremely unpleasant one.
In conclusion, Atticus is a heroic figure and prominent character throughout the whole novel. Even though he is incredibly busy, Atticus always seems to find time for Scout and Jem. He comforts them in their time of need, compromises, but always puts them back in their place, if they get out of hand. This shows great parenting, especially for a single father. Although we see his children’s attitude towards him evolve, Atticus is characterized throughout the book by his absolute consistency. He stands rigidly committed to justice and thoughtfully willing to view matters from the perspectives of others. He does not develop in the novel but retains these qualities in equal measure, making him the novel’s moral guide and voice of conscience.
