In situations of injustice, do you stand on the side of justice or on the side of the oppressor? This is a question that many people had to ask themselves in the south during the 1930’s and The Great Depression. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, an ambitious lawyer and single father to his two children, Jeremy “Jem” and Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, most definitely stands on the side of equality and expresses this through his words and actions. Even though Atticus is a non traditional parent: he is old, formal, and often leaves his children alone with his chef or sister, he works hard for the town of Maycomb and state legislature while making as much time as possible devoted to his family. Although Atticus is an unorthodox
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Although Tom Robinson’s trial contained difficult topics that Jem and Scout may not have been ready to learn about, Atticus told them about it and did not kick them out after noticing that they were watching. He makes sure that they know the importance of courage and justice, which is shown when he says “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). By taking this advice, Jem and Scout will learn to always do what is just and not what is easy or popular. We see this come into play after the trial when Jem reacts to the outcome of Tom’s testimony. It is shown that he is upset when Scout explains that “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right… It ain’t right, Atticus’” (Lee 285). In this quote, it is evident that Atticus has taught Jem to stand in solidarity with everyone in support of Tom, despite him being black. During this time, black people were harshly discriminated against solely because of skin color. Atticus chose to defend Tom to give him a fair chance, even if it was obvious that the jury would convict …show more content…
If all parents taught their children to walk through life with an open mind and kind heart, there would be so many more self-sacrificing young individuals in the world. Instead of society relying on the internet and media to guide us, they should simply look for and emulate the positive role models already around
Although Tom Robinson’s trial contained difficult topics that Jem and Scout may not have been ready to learn about, Atticus told them about it and did not kick them out after noticing that they were watching. He makes sure that they know the importance of courage and justice, which is shown when he says “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). By taking this advice, Jem and Scout will learn to always do what is just and not what is easy or popular. We see this come into play after the trial when Jem reacts to the outcome of Tom’s testimony. It is shown that he is upset when Scout explains that “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right… It ain’t right, Atticus’” (Lee 285). In this quote, it is evident that Atticus has taught Jem to stand in solidarity with everyone in support of Tom, despite him being black. During this time, black people were harshly discriminated against solely because of skin color. Atticus chose to defend Tom to give him a fair chance, even if it was obvious that the jury would convict …show more content…
If all parents taught their children to walk through life with an open mind and kind heart, there would be so many more self-sacrificing young individuals in the world. Instead of society relying on the internet and media to guide us, they should simply look for and emulate the positive role models already around