Atticus is a single parent of Jem and Scout who has morals and a good conscience. He can be described as an “American Hero” as his major role in the book was to defend an innocent black man accused of rape. He shows courage in many different ways throughout the book. He chooses to defend Tom Robinson who had been accused of rape and was clearly innocent; he knows Tom will be trialled guilty prior to the court hearing but still fights for what he believes in, even though it puts his family at risk in society. “For a number of reasons. The main one is that if I didn't, I couldn't hold my head up in town. I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do somethin' again.” This quote is narrated when Scout asks Atticus if he defends Negroes, Atticus’s response shows that he is willing to sacrifice his prestigiousness within Maycomb County just to maintain his morals; this indicates his courage as well as Atticus being a moral man.
Another one of Atticus’s aspects that make him a “Great American Hero” is that he is very courageous and a family man. Not only is this shown in the Tom Robinson trial but throughout the book also. An example of this is the incident of the mad dog. A mad dog approaches the town and Atticus and the sheriff are called, Atticus is preferred to the sheriff to takedown the dog and he does so in one shot. A story is told about a young Atticus and how he was labelled ‘one shot-finch’; this was because Atticus could shoot anything in one shot. However Atticus never tells Jem or Scout this story and as the reader we believe it is to protect them from believing in “false courage.” “What’s the matter with you boy? Can’t you talk? Didn’t you know your daddy’s - ...Hush Heck said Aticus” This quote shows us that Atticus would rather his kids not know about his nick name ‘one shot-finch’; this is because Atticus is a good parent and would prefer to teach his children , especially Jem, ‘true courage.’ He wants to tell Jem in particular you do not need a gun to have courage.
Lee wants us to acknowledge the symbolism and irony behind the mad dog; Atticus is protecting the community from something dangerous, later on in the book we find out that Atticus is trying to protect something innocent from the dangers of the community. Moreover Lee calls the dog ‘Tim Johnson” a name fairly similar to ‘Tom Robinson’; Lee clearly wants us to draw some parallels between the two.
In this particular incident Lee dissolves the ‘Southern Gentleman’ stereotype we first perceive Atticus to be. After he shoots the mad dog his children’s gratitude towards him surges. Prior to these events they believe he is not ‘macho’ enough. Scout describes him as being “feeble” and saying that “He never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the living room and read.” Scout and Jem are stunned and agree not to discuss it with their father; these are the first signs of Scout and Jem maturing. This is a crucial moment for Atticus to have acquired the children’s recognition just before the trial.
Most probably one of Atticus’s most criticised aspects even today, are his parenting skills. His laidback attitude and fundamental reasoning with his children are controversial. He exposes his children to such extreme sights at a young age; he expects them to understand and accept the immoral sides of life. An example of this is when makes it a requirement for Jem to go read to Mrs.Dubose, an elderly woman fighting a morphine addiction that caused her to suffer some disturbing side effects. “You rarely win, but sometimes you do...According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.” This quote shows that Atticus lets Jem and Scout witness an ill woman suffer to death just to prove the point of bravery and courage. The juxtaposition of the mad dog incident and Mrs. Duboses death purposely suggests strong contrasting ideas about courage. “When a child asks you something, answer him for goodness’ sake... Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults and evasion simply muddles them.” This shows his thoughts on parenting, he decides to let his kids be aware of everything and let all the harsh discipline responsibilities be passed onto their black cook Calpurnia.
Lee clearly wrote To Kill a Mockingbird in two parts; they consist of different plots and contrast highly in themes and metaphorical understanding. Part one describes Scout’s day to day life and creates a bubble of innocence for the reader to engulf. Part one could be described as the ‘children’s game’ it focuses solely on the children’s immature thoughts and plays just to disturb an innocent man, Boo Radley. The children nickname him Boo as he is a ghostly, sinister character this shows they are still too young and have not established Atticus’s maxim yet. On the other hand part two could be described as the ‘adult’s game’. It focuses upon racial prejudice, specifically Tom Robinson court trial. There is no essence of innocence with Jem and Scout and as the reader we sense that ‘coming of age’ and the children finally establishing not only Atticus’s maxim but also true maturity.
Harper Lee uses several literary devices to explain the character of Atticus, one of these is when she foreshadows, building up tension for Tom Robinsons trial and tragic death with the incidents of the mad dog and the fire. She uses Burris Ewells to foreshadow the antagonism of Bob Ewell and also Bob Ewell’s behaviour towards Atticus foreshadowing the attack on his children. Lee uses pathetic fallacy to create tension for the reader during Bob Ewell’s revenge incident. “The weather was unusually warm for the last day of October...the wind was growing stronger... there was no moon.” These extracts explain Lee’s effective use of pathetic fallacy.
In conclusion, Lee uses various methods and techniques to present the character of Atticus. His character stays consistent in morals and understanding, and is juxtaposed to Scouts development throughout the story. Harper Lee uses Atticus as a spokesman; he embodies the themes of tolerance, justice, integrity and courage. In the face of his strong principles and idealism, he is trapped within the society in which he lives but hopes for his children to carry on his morals for future societies. Despite the inevitable guilty verdict of Tom Robinson and his death, the book does have a positive ending. The true significance of the trial and book is that Maycomb County is slowly ridding itself of racial prejudice and discrimination. The jury takes an extended amount of time to decide on a verdict not an instant unanimous decision you would expect. This is described by Miss Maudie, while talking to Scout, “the town has taken a step-it’s just a baby step, but it’s a step.”
By Mohammed Khalil
