Essay On Atticus Finch Hero

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” This quote is written by Christopher D’Olier Reeve, an American author, actor and film director. Anyone in this world has the power to become a hero, even if it seems like the odds are against them. The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” is written by Harper Lee, which follows a young girl named Scout as she grows up through a time of racial segregation. She lives in the town of Maycomb, Alabama with her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus Finch. As a lawyer, Atticus Finch has been appointed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson in court. He is falsely accused of rape against a white girl, named Mayella Ewell, daughter to Bob Ewell. Due to the racial segregation, the majority of the townsfolk disagree with Atticus’s choice on defending Tom. In the end, to no one’s surprise, Atticus loses the case and Tom was announced guilty by the jury. Atticus Finch demonstrates qualities that prove he is a modern day hero. The novel proves this in three …show more content…
He demonstrates that he is a modern day hero by having a trait (open-minded) which separates himself from others, he possesses a character flaw of underestimating other and he exhibits both mental and physical courage in the face of adversity. In the past, heroes are said to be big, strong individuals that go on a quest of some sort to find and slay sources of evil, such as monsters, witches and other mythical creatures that do not exist, like dragons. This is absolutely not true for modern day heroes, as they do not have to kill a mythical creature to be a hero. A modern day hero can be a normal individual that possesses and demonstrates heroic traits for good as opposed to evil or bad intentions. Atticus Finch may not have defeated a dragon, but he is a regular man with many good traits that portray him as a modern day