How Does Atticus Change In To Kill A Mockingbird

“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (Lee 374). Scout, the main character of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, realizes that her father, Atticus, was right and that Boo Radley, a neighbor she had only heard rumors about, is different in real life than she thought he was. Many times, people see things differently than they actually are. For example, sometimes people misjudge others abilities because of their appearance.

Chapter 15 in To Kill a Mockingbird is a significant part in the novel. In this chapter, Harper Lee shows us a few new ideas through the actions of the characters. The mob is Lee’s way of showing us the town and how the town acts and thinks. The people in the mob are angry with Atticus for “movin’

In the book, Atticus has to explain this to Scout by telling her “If I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again. ”(Lee, 86). By saying this Atticus means if he denies this case he is doing the wrong thing and is running from a situation where he could help a man who has done nothing wrong, he couldn’t ask for Scout and Jem to do the right thing when he didn’t when he had the chance. This quote shows that Atticus has courage because he knows that this case isn’t being judged fairly and if he denies the trial, it shows his children that they can run away from things that challenge them. Also, by Atticus taking this case he is proving to the people that even though Tom is a colored man he should be treated and given the same efforts as a trial of a light-skinned man.

When Scout asks him why he is doing this, he explains that “… if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (75). Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman & one of the children in the (poor) Ewell family. When Atticus is visited one night, he is asked to represent Tom in the case, and Atticus accepts. Representing a black man is a serious thing to do.

Scout Finch, a once disorderly girl, changes a lot when her father, Atticus, takes the responsibility of defending a black man. Scout matures quickly when she is faced with discrimination and hatred towards her father. The atmosphere of discrimination in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee affects Scout, by creating a hostile environment that teaches her important lessons, forcing Scout to protect herself and her father, and learning that challenging the traditional way of life was not always wrong. It must have been a confusing time for Scout Growing up in Maycomb, because once her father took the role as an attorney for a black man, everything started to change.

Atticus is also a single father, so things can get rough for him considering he has two crazy children. No matter what happens in the story, Atticus is there to protect them, to teach them the right way of doing things. This directly correlates to how Atticus grew up as a child, he lived in a stable home, and was raised to be intelligent and kind, no matter what the circumstances. Atticus wants the same for his

Tom Robinson was being charged with rape and everyone in the town was against him. Atticus saw the injustice and did his best to defend Tom. “... if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature” (Lee 75). Atticus is explaining to Scout why he couldn’t leave Tom without any help. Atticus is always looking out for his children.

This proves that Atticus wanted to be treated the way he treated everyone else. Lastly, Atticus was also moral. “ Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I’ve tried to live so I can look squarely back at him”. (Lee 249) This shows that Atticus was moral by being a good example for his kids.

Before the case of Tom Robinson vs Mayella Ewell, Atticus recognizes that both Scout and Jem will have to understand the case in the situation behind it. He doesn't want this for his kids but he understands is going to happen and they should be prepared for it. As Atticus said, “Scout’s got to learn to keep her head and learn soon, with what’s in store for her these next few months. She’s coming along,

While Scout is less knowledgeable of the trial, she sees Jem and how “... his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between them,”(282). Jem is watching his father go against the beliefs of the majority of Maycomb, while trying to prove an innocent man free of his accused actions. Jem puts himself in Tom’s situation, fully able to comprehend the importance of the case. He takes the pain Tom Robinson must be experiencing into himself, knowing how this verdict is changing someone’s life forever. Jem’s mature knowledge and awareness makes him a compassionate person, which is what Atticus had always aspired for his son to be.

When Atticus find out that Jem, Scout, and Dill followed him into town, he demands that they go home, but Jem refuses: “We were accustomed to prompt, if not always cheerful acquiescence to Atticus‘s instructions, but from the way he stood Jem was not thinking of budging,” (203). Jem is maturing, and he is starting to understand the situation that Atticus is in because of his defense of Tom Robinson. While he would normally obey Atticus, he realizes that protecting his father against the lynch mob is more important. Jem displays his courage even in his stance, emphasizing that he is doing what he thinks is right in spite of the challenges he faces. As Scout interacts with the mob, Atticus continues to demand that the children go home: “‘Atticus stood trying to make Jem mind him.

No matter how things result, Atticus is always level headed, and takes a lesson from every situation. Atticus’s parenting style is quite different compared to how many parents raise their children. He treats his kids almost as if they are adults, and expects them to be just as mature as him or any other adult. At the same time, he is also aware that children make childish mistakes. But he expects them to be aware of their mistakes and learn from them.

In the beginning of the novel, he was becoming reckless, and towards the middle and end of the novel, he was more mature. As Jem saw what it was like to be a gentleman from his father, he developed and was teaching Scout about these findings. In the novel it says, “Naw, Scout, it’s something you wouldnt understand. Atticus is real old, but I wouldn 't care if he couldn 't do anything- I wouldn 't care if he couldn 't do a blessed thing” (Lee 107).

As a father Atticus has done everything he can to maintain his children, Jem and Scout, informed of what really is like out there in the real world. Honesty seems to be Atticus rout when dealing with life. In times Atticus will lose trial but the courage he has won’t allow him to give up on innocent people, like Tom. Atticus is the definition of role model to follow. He’s a great father to his children showing the the truth will always push them forwards in life.

Atticus’s parenting of Scout and Jem is very unique in that he treats his children as equal human beings, answering any question they have, and giving them advice when they need it. He uses all these things as an opportunity to pass his values on to Scout and Jem. He is happy to help people see a situation in a new way. Atticus uses this with the entire city of Maycomb as well as with his children. Furthermore, for all of his maturity towards Jem and Scout, he realizes that they are children and that they will make mistakes, they will also make different assumptions about different things.