Atticus Finch Characteristics

Realistic
1. He knows that the verdict of the trial is inevitable
  1. "When it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins"
    1. Link to prejudice that surrounded Southern America in the 1930's, in particular Alabama- the city where the fictional town of Maycomb is set.
  2. “if I didn’t, I couldn’t hold his head up in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something anymore.”
    1. Atticus is not a hypocrite, and he will not tell his children to do something when he has not done something that he knows he should have done, which is to try and defend an innocent black man.
    2. This suggests that Atticus is a gentleman who remains true to himself and does not let other people’s opinions affect him.
      1. LINKS TO MRS DUBOSE WHERE SHE SAYS "YOUR FATHER'S NO BETTER THAN THE NIGGERS AND TRASH HE WORKS FOR AND ATTICUS SIMPLY REPLIES WITH "GOOD EVENING MRS DUBOSE, YOU LOOK LIKE A PICTURE THIS EVENING."
  3. “simply because we’re licked one hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.”
    1. Atticus is implying that he knows what the verdict will be because one man cannot change the ways of Maycomb county, but, he will give Tom an equal and fair trial and not just give up on him because of the inevitable verdict.
2. “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb in his skin and walk around in it”
  1. Portrayed as understanding and non-judgemental. He never judges anyone before he sees their situation through their eyes, he does this when he saves Tom and considers how he feels for being innocent but convicted of rape and leaving his wife and children.
3. Realistic in his aims and what he wants people to think of him.
  1. Never wants to be an idol or seen as perfect. All he wants to do is what he thinks is best and doesn't care what other people think. Only believes what is morally right
Fallible
1. Lynch mob incident
  1. "no we don't have mobs and that nonsense in Maycomb"
    1. Shows Atticus can be naive and a bit too trusting of people sometimes.
      1. Link to "you never really understand..."- shows he always sees the good in people and understands their perspective
    2. Implies Atticus sees Maycomb as a good town that doesn't have any mobs or "nonsense"
  2. Atticus is also shown in this incident to be protective as although he doesn't believe there are any lynch mobs in Maycomb, he still goes and sits outside Tom's prison cell to protect him from them.
2. Bob Ewell spitting incident
  1. After the trial Bob Ewell is humiliated by Atticus.
  2. "This morning Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he’d get him if it took the rest of his life."
  3. Atticus remains calm about the situation and wipes his face with his handkerchief and carried on with his day. However, he's portrayed as fallible because he tells his children "we don't have anything to fear from Bob Ewell, he got it all out his system that morning"
    1. CONTRAST TO END OF NOVEL-ATTEMPTING TO KILL JEM + SCOUT.
Charitable
1. Helps the Cunninghams out after the Great Depression as he understands they were greatly affected by this.
2. ""As the Cunninghams had no money to pay a lawyer, they simply paid us with what they had."- Atticus allows the Cunningham's to repay him with the food the grow as he understands they have no money after the depression but need a lawyer.
3. Charitable to Mrs Dubose, despite the fact she is one of the most discriminative and disrespectul people in Maycomb.
  1. Mrs Dubose is cruel to Atticus as she tells Jem and Scout "Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for."
    1. After this comment, Jem ruins Mrs Dubose's camellia bushes.
      1. As a punishment for his actions, Atticus agrees that Jem should go and read to Mrs Dubose for two hours each day.
      2. Atticus did not really do this as s punishment, in fact, he did it to teach his chindren a lesson as he knows Mrs Dubose was trying to overcome her morphine addiction.
        Does it to teach his children what courage is- "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what."
        LINK TO HIM DEFENDING TOM
        Children witnessed a dying woman's battle against an addiction.
4. Helps out the so-called "phantom" of the street, Boo Radley.
  1. Atticus and Heck Tate agree to tell everyone that Bob Ewell "fell on his knife" to protect Boo.
  2. Already let one innocent man, symbolised as a Mockingbird die.
Respectful
1. "You'll have to bear with me, Miss Mayella"
  1. "Won't answer a word as long as you keep mocking me"
    1. Suggests that this is one of the very few times Mayella is being treated with respect as she believes Atticus is "mocking" her here just by calling her "Miss."
    2. This also proves that Bob Ewell is a bad father as it proves, apart from by Tom, she has never been respected by anyone else and is not accustomed to simple gestures of respect.
2. Mrs Dubose tells Atticus's children he's "no better than the niggers and trash he works for." Even though they tell him this, he still passes her house and says "Good evening, Mrs Dubose. You look like a picture this evening."
  1. Doesn't listen to other people's opinions.
3. Respects the black community as he tells his daughter "don't say nigger Scout, that's common."
4. Recieves respect from black community.
  1. "Stand up. Your fathers passin'."

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Atticus Finch Characteristics

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