Integrity In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the greatest novels of all time, and the biggest reason for that is the character of Atticus Finch, a warrior of integrity. Integrity is one of the most prevalent themes, the idea of sticking to your morales, regardless of how many disagree. Despite most of the town turning against him for defending a black man, Atticus abides by his conscience and insists on doing what he believes is right, even if that means doing it alone. When Scout refuses to go to school, Atticus indirectly teachers her about integrity. Scout may not want to got to school, but what’s right is almost never what’s most convenient or fun. Atticus then embodies his own teachings by defending Tom not because he wants to, but because it’s the right thing to do. From the standpoint of this court case, Atticus doesn’t want it. He was appointed to represent Tom, and only agreed because he believed it was the right thing to do. Scout starts getting bullied in school because of her father’s decision, which causes Scout to retaliate by getting in fist fights with the kids. Atticus tells her she should be a better example than …show more content…
They’ve already convinced themselves that Tom’s guilty and that Atticus should just leave the case alone. Atticus says that they’re certainly entitled to think that, same as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. respected his critics opinions. However, he says that, before he can live with other folks, he must first live with himself.
“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscious.” (Lee 87)
This is perhaps the most powerful statement in the novel. You have a moral obligation to judge yourself before you can judge anyone