Atticus Finch As A Father Essay

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee portrays Atticus Finch as the perfect father and man in general. Because of this, it is easy to say that he is one of the most beloved characters in American literature. Although he has many strengths that make him the great father he is, he does have a weakness that readers seem to overlook.

Atticus Finch is not always the most responsible Father for his children. Often times Jem and Scout are left unsupervised and although Atticus has a demanding job, he could still have Calpurnia keep an eye on the children. Throughout the novel on many occasions we see Jem, and Scout playing outside in the yard alone. Not always but quite often does this lead to them mocking Boo Radley in some way and trying …show more content…
After hearing this comment Jem had had enough and decided to go to the store and get the steam engine he had always wanted. On his way home he ran up to Mrs. Dubose’s front porch and didn’t leave until he had cut the tops off of every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned. If Atticus would have been with them or had Calpurnia go with them into town Jem wouldn’t have been able to show this poor behavior. Quite often, Atticus’s demanding job takes time away from his family. An example of this is when Atticus couldn’t go see Scouts play because he was tired from being in montgomery for a week. Another time this is shown in the novel is when Atticus is gone for two weeks because of an emergency state legislature session. Atticus’s absences due to his job often cause very unsafe situations for his children. Because Atticus could not go to Scout’s play, Jem and Scout had no other option than to walk alone to and from the school. This was a very poor parenting decision on Atticus 's part because after the play was over and Jem and Scout were walking home in the dark, they were attacked by Bob Ewell. If Atticus would have been with them, he would have either prevented it from …show more content…
One of the main ways he does this is by giving them a good amount of freedom. An example of this from the text is how he lets them attend the trial for the second day: “Well, you’ve heard it all so you might as well hear the rest. Tell you what, you all can come back when you’ve eaten your supper.” Atticus knows that they are mature enough to handle the atmosphere and content of the trial. Also even though sometimes his children make mistakes he still lets them play in the yard alone and make for themselves because he trusts them and respects their decision making. The way that Atticus talks to his children shows a lot about how he respects them. Rarely does he raise his voice at them no matter how frustrated or disappointed he is with them. He talks to them in a calm mature way to fix any problem that his children might have. Atticus is all about compromise when it comes to his children. When Scout gets home from the first day of school she explains to Atticus how her teacher doesn’t want him teaching her to read anymore and mentions that she doesn’t ever want to go back to school. After hearing this, Atticus make the compromise that if Scout continues to go to school he will continue reading with her. By saying this, it shows that Atticus values Scouts happiness but still wants her to do the right thing. Atticus also lets his children be themselves and