What Qualities As A Father Do You Think Atticus Finch Had?
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Introduction
What Qualities As A Father Do You Think Atticus Finch Had? I am going to be looking at the behaviour of a certain character from the book "To kill a mockingbird." I shall be looking in particularly at Atticus Finch, who in the book is an 'idealised' character. We say that he is 'idealised,' because he never seems to do anything wrong, and the only failure he seems to make throughout the whole novel, is to underestimate Bob Ewell. Atticus does not believe that Mr Ewell would go to the such lengths of harming his children in order to get back at him. He thinks that after an incident in which Mr Ewell spits in his face, that everything has been forgotten, but it hasn't. Mr finch tries to lead his children by example, and the example that he sets to the is almost 'too good to be true.' Atticus has intergrity, and it is this quality that makes him an ideal role model for Jem and Scout. He has good manners, and tries to pass these on to his children. Now I will try to explain the qualities that Atticus Finch had as a father to his children, Jem and Scout. ...read more.
Middle
- He says to Uncle Jack "When a child asks you something, answer him for goodness sake...evasion simply muddles em" Scout also tells of his patience to do this when she says "We were at all times free to interrupt Atticus for a translation when it was beyond our understanding." He is patient both in his home, and out of his home, which is an important part of his job, and as a father to Jem and Scout. Atticus treats children as adults, and believes they have the same rights as adults. Mr Finch doesn't talk down to children either. When Scout and Jem bring Walter Cunningham home for lunch, "he and Atticus talked together like two men," even though Walter is a member of the Cunningham family, and most people are uncomfortable talking to them. Mr Finch even shows concern for the Ewell children, which many people would not expect him to do in the circumstances. When Bob Ewell spits in his face, he doesn't react. Later he says "He had to take it out on someone, and I'd rather it be me, than that house full of children over there." ...read more.
Conclusion
It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you." He wants to please his children. When he and Scout play chequers, he always lets Scout win. She does not realise until later in the story when she finds out how good Atticus actually is, that he was letting her win - "it's about time you found out it's because he lets you "win!)" Throughout the whole story, his great love for his children is always apparent. An example of this is when Jem is injured. Even though Jem is not awake, and does not know what is happening, Atticus stays at his bedside. Scout says that "he would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem woke up in the morning." Because Scout has said this, we can clearly see that the children are aware of his love for them, which is a great quality Atticus possesses. This is in fact probably the most important quality Atticus Finch has as a father. He allows the children to know that that they are loved, and by doing this, they will grow up to love their children. He wants Jem and Scout to have the best lives possible, and he does all he can to help them achieve this. John Keymer ...read more.
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