Atticus Finch Heroism

To Kill a Mockingbird is full of heart wrenching and painful moments that shaped and defined each and every inhabitant of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch, the father of the main protagonist, once said, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it," (Lee 51). This was a lesson he taught to Scout, the narrator and main protagonist of the story. Scout never fully grasps the idea of this concept until the very end of the story, but throughout the story she exhibits this lesson and is empathetic without even knowing it. No character felt others emotions quite like Scout, even if it was right away, a little while after, or even the whole book.

The children had been walking home from a Halloween pageant that Atticus was too tired to attend. He also had Jem go pick up Scout at night, in the dark, alone. Scout said, “Atticus said as tactfully as he could that he just didn't think that he could stand a pageant tonight… He thought Jem might escort me if I asked him” (Lee, 339). Atticus made it seem like he didn’t even know if Jem would take Scout.

When Bob Ewell spit in Atticus’ face he said to Jem, “...see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does” (Lee 292). Atticus takes the blame for what Bob Ewell did to him even though it wasn’t Atticus’ fault. Atticus also says “...I do my best to love everybody…”

Atticus acts courageously in the book, To Kill A Mockingbird and teaches not only his children, but also the people in Maycomb county an important lesson about self respect and respect for others. Atticus is known for many outstanding qualities that he portrays throughout the novel that make him seem like a heroic figure. A hero is someone who is admired or idealized for courage or noble qualities. Atticus models respect and equal treatment for all humans, making him a hero for a diverse group of Maycomb’s citizens.

The traditional definition of a hero is someone admirable who exemplifies selfless behavior, or one able to risk their own lives to save another. These are qualities of a hero that people look up to. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is a lawyer selected to defend Tom Robinson. In this case, Tom was accused of raping a young white woman. During the nineteen thirties, there was a lot of inequity represented through the unfair justice system, causing the case to be very sensitive to Atticus.

Courage throughout history has always been interpreted in many different ways; cowardice, defiance, and even idiocy. Often it is hard to recognize true courage until many years have passed. True courage is showing bravery and standing up for your beliefs and principles in times of strife. “Courage isn’t a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin

Atticus Finch is a smart,passionate man looking to do what’s fair and what it takes to turn the heads of others, for not only a good way but influential way too. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD By:Harper Lee Is a good classic novel made on July 11, 1960.This novel is about a middle aged man with two kids named Scout and Jem Finch. This novel is based around one main thing, taking a stand. Atticus is faced with a problem when a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of rape and the beating of a white woman, Atticus takes the case and is being bashed about it every day by the white community known as Maycomb.

Atticus even said in the book that he was afraid what the effect of the case would have on his kids. He didn't want his kids to end up bitter and racist when they grew older. The night that he sat in front of the jailhouse, he knew that he was in trouble but he wasn't going to move out of the way. Aunt Alexandra didn't want Calpurnia to stay but Atticus stood up to her and told her that Calpurnia was a faithful family member.     I agree with Atticus’s definition of courage

People have in mind that courage is about being able to save other peoples’ lives and risking your own, or to climb Mount Everest, or to jump from the top of a high building. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, real courage is demonstrated in a different and encouraging way. Real courage is shown as fighting for what is believed in and what is most important, regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus and Scout are two characters who define courage perfectly. The reasons why Atticus shows courage is that he argued the best he could to defend the innocent man from going to jail since he knew that no one else would.

It was courageous of Atticus when he shoots the mad, rabid dog. At this point he risked a lot in his life. Atticus risks the chance of missing, the dog running up to him, and attacking them. Atticus could also miss the dog and cause damage to a living or a nonliving thing. Thirdly it is courageous of Atticus to not charge Jem with Bob Ewell’s death.

By grasping the psychological explanations behind mob behavior and showing compassion for his fellow neighbors, Atticus radiates empathy. While most would readily perceive the fury of the mob as an act of personal disloyalty and consequently act upon that misinterpretation, Atticus manifests rapport, ergo preventing additional feuds. Thus, through his choice of empathy over immediate action, Atticus represents a man of good morals and sensitivity. In an identical manner, Atticus shows empathy when he explains his reasoning behind why he is not consumed with apprehension from Bob Ewell’s threats. It is the morning after the trial when Jem and Scout learn of the most recent townwide gossip:

Courage is shown through Atticus many times in the book. A time in the book where Atticus showed courage was when he had had to shoot the rabid dog. He did not want to do it but he had to or the dog might have hurt someone badly. Another time where

This scene shows that Atticus has the courage to step up to help the people he loves no matter what it means. Even though Atticus does not want to shoot the rabid dog, due to him never wanting to use his talent of shooting to make a scene. He realizes though, if he doesn’t shoot the dog the people in the town will be in danger so thus he has courage and steps up. This is courageous because he had to put his personal preference out of the way to help those he loved. Another moment that Atticus shows courage in his actions is when he is defending Tom Robinson in the jailhouse.

We know Atticus has courage because he defends all black people alike in a time when that was looked down upon. Author Harper Lee explains through Atticus “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal”(209). Atticus is defending all black people by saying that they are equal to white people and this is very courageous for this time period because he will get a lot of threats from people are racist. Atticus also shows courage because he does not react violently when Mr. Ewell spit on him. " Miss Stephanie said Atticus didn’t bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names...

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. The author Lee demonstrates some major themes such as social inequality, intolerance, education, legal justice and bravery through this character. The title To Kill a Mockingbird symbolises innocence where Lee explores this through the eyes of Jem and Scout who are kids of Atticus Finch. He is one of the most honest, patient, kind, fair, respected and admired men in Maycomb during the Great Depression. Atticus is known for his moral character throughout the book.