One summer was ending and being Dill’s last night he, Jem and scout decided to go and have a look through the window of the Radley place. When they ran for home scout trips in the collard patch. The next thing they herd was a gunshot. Escaping the garden Jem had to leave behind his pants. The children return to find everyone outside the Radley’s garden, it didn’t take Atticus long to ask the where abouts of Jem’s pants. Dill quickly tells Atticus they had been playing strip poker and Jem had lost his pants to him. Later when Jem knows his father’s asleep he gets ready to retrieve his pants, as he doesn’t want to get whipped for going against his father, because for as long as he can remember he hasn’t been before.
Not long after, Atticus is told he has to take Tom Robinson’s case. This caused a lot of problems at school, mainly for scout. She was forever getting into fights, until her father promised, “that he would wear her out if he ever heard of her fighting”. Atticus Finch is a proud man and feels that if he doesn’t do his job properly that he would be unable to hold his head in town. Atticus never asked to take the case; he was given it because no one else wanted to defend a Niger.
It’s Christmas in the novel and Atticus takes his children to Finch’s landing, as they do every year. Atticus’ sister, Alexandra, always has her own view on everything even the way Atticus is bringing his children up. She believes that to become a lady scout should be wearing dress’ not breeches. Scout should be playing with small stoves and tea sets, not climbing trees; Alexandra believes scout should “be a ray of sunshine”. Scouts cousin, Francis enjoys getting her into trouble. He gets away with anything and blames it all on scout. Atticus’ brother, uncle jack, deals with scout by giving her “a good licking”. When they return home, uncle jack and scout get talking about understanding children and how to be fair. Scout tells Uncle jack, “Atticus doesn’t ever just listen to Jem’s side of it, he hears mine too”, uncle jack learns to do like Atticus and be fair. Scout asks jack what a “Whore-lady” is and he tells her something completely untrue, when Atticus is told he informs his brother to always tell the truth to a child when asked something. I believe that Atticus is doing right.
A few pages on in the novel, the children talk about their father being “feeble” and “he didn’t do anything. He worked in an office”. They then, from Miss Maudie are told their father can make a person will air tight, that he is the best chequer player in town and he can play a Jew’s harp. It was about February and Jem spotted old Tim Johnson (a dog), coming towards them in a mad and strange way. What they never knew about is their father was once nicknamed “old’ one-shot”, this being because he had the god given talent of being a good marksman. Jem and Scout now wondered why their father never hunted, but the answer was that he had been given an unfair advantage over other living things. Knowing their father can shot the children where proud of Atticus, especially Jem.
Soon after, yet another neighbour, Mrs Dubose, was agitating Jem. Although she was horrible Atticus would say, “she’s an old lady and she’s ill. Just hold your head up high and be a gentleman”. And “it’s your job not to let her make you mad”. Jem unfortunately let Mrs Dubose get to him and for his actions he was punished, his punishment being to read to her after school and on Saturdays for 2 hours for a month. During the reading time Mrs Dubose would call Atticus “a Nigger-lover”, Atticus explained to scout that name-calling is done by “ignorant, trashy people and they use ‘nigger-lover’ when they believe a person is favouring Negroes over and above themselves”. After Mrs Dubose died Atticus told Jem, “even if you had not fallen in to her hands I would have had you read to her anyway. I wanted you to see what real courage is a man with a gun in his hands”. This I think is a good lesson to anyone and a valuable one at that.
Later Aunt Alexandra comes to stay, not long had she arrived she was trying to sack Calpurnia. But Atticus puts her straight; “Calpurnia is not leaving his house until she wants to. You may think otherwise, but I couldn’t have got along without her all these years”. He also adds, “she’s a faithful member of this family and you’ll simply have to accept things the way they are”. After Atticus’ speech, Aunt Alexandra backed down for a while but never stopped. As we go on we see a strong side of Atticus. He risks his life to guard Tom Robinson’s life at the jail. He showed a strong minded and principled man that night to defend the life of a black man outside the courtroom. Atticus used what happened that night to teach his children another lesson, this one about people in general. He said to them “it took an 8 year old child to bring ‘em to their senses, didn’t it? That proves something – that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they’re still human”. This is yet another valuable lesson from their father.
Further into the book we reach the trial, Its between Miss Mayella Ewell and Mr Tom Robinson. When on the stand Miss Mayella was accusing Mr Finch of “mockin” her whenever he called her “ma’am” or “Miss Mayella”, also when asked if she had any friends. Atticus was full of questions, although not all of them were answered, as Mayella didn’t understand the terms he was using. Anyone could begin to tell she was lying when asked “do you remember him beating you about the face?” This is where I believe she slipped up, as her answer was “No, I don’t recollect if he hit me I mean yes I do, he hit me”, the hesitation and unsure behaviour suggests to me that she has been put up to it.
Nearing the end of the trail Atticus’ closing speech say’s a lot. In it he states, “this should have never come to court, this case is as simple as black and white” and that “the state has not produced one iota of medical evidence”. This means that it is a simple as his word against hers but further on Atticus states that “there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left”. We know that Tom had only one good hand that being his right, meaning that it couldn’t have been him. Mr Finch goes on to mention about how everyone has been created equally. The outcome found Tom Robinson guilty. Residence of the black community showed their respect for Atticus by leaving lots of food for him. Tom’s father left things such as salt pork, tomatoes, beans, scuppernongs and a jar of pickled pig’s knuckles.
Miss Maudie had her view on the situation and it was, “some men in this world were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them”. Not too long after this the children had another shock. “This morning Mr Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he’d get him if it took the rest of his life”, Miss Stephanie Crawford told this to them. All Atticus said about it was “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco”. This to me seems weird, as he was being threatened and spat at but shows a humorous and brave character.
Shortly after, Atticus was to inform Mrs Helen Robinson of her husband’s death. When Aunt Alexandra heard of the news she had her head in her hands, she was weary as she say’s “what else do they want from him” she also say’s “they’re perfectly willing to let him wreck his health doing what they’re afraid to do”. By this she show’s that she is upset and angry.
Nearing the end of the novel, Jem and Scout get attacked one night no there way home from Scout’s school play. Later on Mr Heck Tate tells Atticus that Bob Ewell tried to kill Jem and Scout and would have succeeded had it not been for him tripping and landing on his own knife. Which resulted in him being killed instantly. Atticus does not believe that Bob killed him self but instead that Jem grabbed the knife and killed Mr Ewell. Atticus then began babbling about “it’ll come before county court, of cause it was clear cut self defence”; it does not seem to me that Mr Finch actually took in a word he was told. Him and Atticus start off a kind of argument, Heck trying his best to get Atticus to see the truth. Scout shows that she has learnt a lot over the years. She is beginning to understand the principles that Atticus has tried to teach her. When asked if she could understand that Mr Ewell fell on his knife, she replied, “yes sir I understand, Mr Tate was right”. Then when asked what she meant she explained, “It’d sort of be like shootin’ a mocking-bird”. I think that when Atticus heard those words coming from his daughter that it made him realise that all the things he had told them actually got through.
In my view Atticus is a well-respected and very honourable man who has very strong principles. He is a great father, he does not tell his children what to do he just advises them to do the right thing. The best quality he has is truthfulness to his children. This is shown when his brother tells Scout a lie about what the meaning of the word and what they want to hear. Atticus as a citizen is well mannered, composed and respected. He is a valued member of the community and a well-loved neighbour. All in all Mr Atticus Finch is a brilliant man and great family figure.
