Atticus As A Supportive Father

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is portrayed as a supportive father and a hard working lawyer. Atticus is always there when someone is in need of something. He goes out of his way to help other people, and people come to Atticus when they need help because they know that he is alway ready to help. According to Brett and Kate McKay, “[Atticus] Does the job no one else wants to do”(McKay 1). He always knows what to do and how to deal with problems. Contrary to that, author Gladwell does not agree with that statement at all. Gladwell believes Atticus wants people to be treated equally, but he doesn’t want to bring white and black people together. At Tom Robinson’s rape case, Atticus wanted everyone to not judge Robinson based …show more content…
He doesn’t act like the stereotypical “manly” fathers in Maycomb tend to. Atticus does things his way, yet he still is considered much manlier than the stereotypical father's. Atticus has very strong courage and dignity, and this allows him to do things that other fathers cant. One example is how Atticus casually walked away from Bob Ewell. Ewell spat in Atticus’ face, provoking him, then asked, “Too proud to fight, you ni**er-lovin’ bastard?”(Lee 291). Instead of attacking Ewell, Atticus peacefully responded, “No, too old”, and then he “put his hands in his pockets and strolled on”(291). The ability and courage to not fight, but to walk away calmly makes Atticus a man. Another way Atticus shows courage is how he doesn’t brag about his dexterity. Around the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus’ children Jem and scout are disappointed that their father is older and more boring than their friends dads. Atticus was 50 and he didn’t play football, or go hunting, or drink, or smoke. Jem and Scouts opinions are altered when Atticus shoots a rabid dog, and they learn that Atticus is known as the deadest shot in Maycomb. The reason his children did not know that was because Atticus didn’t want to brag about it. When Scout tells her neighbour Mrs. Maudie that Atticus should be proud of his talent, she respond, “People in their right minds never take pride in their talents”(Lee …show more content…
Gladwell does not believe Atticus is a true man. He says, “If Finch were a civil rights hero, he would be brimming with rage at the unjust verdict”(4). Atticus did not react like that because he knew it would do nothing, Atticus accepted what happened calmly, even though he was furious inside. Atticus knew he couldn’t change the final verdict, so he did not act in a childish way. Another false accusation Gladwell makes is that Atticus “will not do is look at the problem of racism outside the immediate context of… the island community of Maycomb, Alabama”(5). Again, I disagree with Gladwell. Atticus truly cares about racism. One of the many reasons is because it is personal to him. The Finches cook and housekeeper, Calpurnia, is African-American. Atticus knows the racial discrimination she feels and he is doing everything he can to stop it. Atticus took the Tom Robinson case because he thought it would be a step closer to bringing black and white people together. He didn’t attack racist people in Maycomb, he thought that winning the case would bring them together. During that time period, defending a black man was dangerous, not to mention uncommon and unheard of. Atticus knew the risks, yet he still took the case, and gave it his full attention and effort. Gladwell fails to realize the hardship Atticus had to go through defending a black man, and