How Is Atticus Finch Ethical

In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee we are introduced to the Finches, a white middle class family living in the middle of a racial battle of the whites against the blacks. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and widowed father to Scout and Jem Finch, demonstrates resilient moral courage, scaling many obstacles to be an honest and respectable role model to Scout and Jem and to teach them to be open-minded as well as accepting of everyone they meet. He also shows true acts of colorblindness by practicing ethical sympathy to every person he meets regardless of their color or class is. Even as the other people of Maycomb showed racial inequality his beliefs and values went unhindered. These main qualities of Atticus make him one of the greatest fictional heroes in …show more content…
Atticus is a voice of reason and morality in “To Kill a Mockingbird”. He is honest and objectively ethical. Certainly Atticus is well aware of racism but because of his philosophy about people and his innate sense of justice, he is obliged to do what he can to improve things. He and his brother grew up with Calpurnia, and now she is an essential part of his home, someone he trusts to raise his children. The most significant demonstration of Atticus 's view of racism is found in his representation of Tom Robinson during the trial. Of course Tom is innocent, but Tom is a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman. In this time and place, that was a certain death sentence for Tom. The fact that Atticus intended to actually defend him (rather than just go through the motions) almost gets him (and his children) killed, in the process. Jem and Scout take some grief about their father 's actions and beliefs, and Scout eventually even asks Atticus if he is what people are saying he is: a