To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Authors Avatar

How is the character Atticus presented in Part 1 of “To kill a Mockingbird”?

In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Atticus Finch is a lawyer and the father of the narrator Scout and her brother Jem. The book is set in the Deep South during the mid 20th century. In the first part of the book it is clear that Atticus is a very different character to most of the inhabitants of Maycomb (the town that the play is set). The author Harper Lee uses many techniques to try and show the difference between Atticus and the other characters and also portray his unique personality. This essay will analyse how Atticus is presented in the first part of the book.

Firstly, Atticus is shown by Harper Lee to be very liberal in regards to the treatment of his children. In the time that the book is set, children are meant to be very respectful to their parents and were only to address them as “sir” or “ma’am” however Jem and Scout are very relaxed in the manner in which they call and speak with their father. “Atticus said so,” this is a quotation said by Scout to Dill after she met him. She sees her father as Atticus and not only refers to him like that to other people but also in his presence. Compared to how every other parent is addressed by their children, Atticus is treated as an equal by Jem and Finch. When he wants them to learn from their mistakes he does not force them to blindly just follow his orders like soldiers but rather understand why they should or should not be doing something. This is so that they do not participate in something Atticus does not approve of behind his back as they will know why they are refraining from that thing. The reader can see from his reasoning and kind nature that he is a character that feels that even his own children deserve to know about their actions.

As well as that, Atticus makes his children learn for their own selves. “Try fighting with your head for a change” Atticus says this to Scout after she was caught fighting in school. This piece of advice is quite perplexing to Scout as she does not know how that fighting with her head is possible. The word “try” makes it seem as Atticus is giving Scout some advice in to how to sort out her behavioural issues. When someone is scorned at and told off they will feel very negative and will want to change so they do not anger that person again, however Atticus makes sure that Scout only changes for herself. The reader can distinguish that Atticus wants his children only to do what is best for them and he wants them to learn that. Atticus could have told Scout not to fight but instead as he knew direct orders with no reasoning are hard to obey, he made her figure out for herself what she was going to do by giving her a clue.    

Join now!

Furthermore, another factor of Atticus’ character that is linked to the previous one is his sense of justice.  Calpurnia is the family cook and she is treated like an equal by Atticus even though she is black. He forces the children to respect her like a mother. Also, Atticus is a lawyer and even decides to defend a black man even though he knows that he will not win the case. “If I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this country in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Here's what a star student thought of this essay

The quality of writing is great, with spelling and punctuation done correctly. Sentence structure overall was done well, with the exception of a couple of sentences that did not make sense. Otherwise, no other issues there.

I found the analysis done pretty well, with words picked out and also analysed- something that is essential for high marks. The analysis also included social and historical context, which was great as not only was the test analysed, it was also related to the time the book was written, which gives deeper meanings to the quotes and also backs up points. One improvement would be that the quotes were embedded, as although single words are, the full quotes are not as such which is something that could lose marks.

The response to the question was done excellently, with many points given, along with evidence and explanations. The essay has an excellent structure, following the basic Point Evidence Explain rule well, which is something taught at GCSE and should be used in essays like these- the student does this well. The introduction to this essay is also excellent, as it is not long-winded like many introductions can be, rather it is concise and gives the necessary information. I also found the essay consistent and the response conceptualised, with the fact that Atticus is portrayed as a "different" character in the book backed up with many points and evidence which then makes the essay flow.