The Character Of Atticus Finch In 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

Improved Essays
There are also characters who show courage morally and I think a character who does this is Atticus Finch. Atticus faces many challenges during the trial meaning things like mobs that are persecuting him. Even though mobs continue to persecute he still sticks up for the black man Tom Robinson. Something Atticus says when someone calls him a n***** lover is, “‘Simply because we’re licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win’” (101). This really shows Atticus’s courage in a way because even though he knows he’ll probably lose the case he is going to try his best. Overall, Atticus is a very courageous person because he does a great job with moral courage and sticking up for what is right.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Having the ability to do something that may frighten another person is a strong trait. Not just anybody can claim they have the courage to do something whether it's standing in front of class and reading or sticking up for a kid who is getting bullied. To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee consists of multiple moments where a character is being courageous, however Atticus Finch beholds the most courageous acts in the book. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and father to Jem and Scout, takes upon numerous acts of courage from shooting a mad dog to defending an African American male accused of rape during a time where cruel racism was common.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Courage Quotes

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    True courage is being brave and standing up for what scares you the most in life. In this book, To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is represented through many main brave characters such as Atticus, Mrs. Dubose, and Boo Radley. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, true courage is shown by Atticus. Atticus is a great role model; he is a highly respected person throughout the novel.…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mr. Finch is also one of the best lawyers in the county. Moreover, Atticus is a courageous character in the story because he defended Tom Robinson (a black man) even when he was almost positive they would lose. Atticus sums up his own definition of courage, he said that “Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through, no matter what”. Mr. Finch went against everyone and defended Tom Robinson.…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    J.F. Clark once said, “The bravest of individuals is one who obeys his or her conscience”. To me, this quote means that the strongest and bravest people are ones who do what they think is right. This quote is true because all the brave characters in stories know in their heart, what's right and what's not. In the play The Crucible and the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, where the main characters follow their gut, they show how courageous they truly are.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Courage is Born Throughout It’s Difficulties By McKinley Miner What is courage? The dictionary defines courage as “ the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face a difficulty, danger, pain, without fear; bravery.” Throughout the entire novel of To Kill A Mockingbird there is one man who takes courage to a whole new level. Atticus Finch is a white man who stands up for a black man in a time period when most people wouldn 't have.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Courage of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird Prejudice is when a person is biased against another person. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about a southern family that is growing up in a hard time, and the narrator of the book is a small child named Scout Finch. Her brother Jem is older and is her protector and he has to deal with a lot of issues when Atticus is not around. You get to see Jem grow over time and become more polite. Their father, Atticus takes on a very serious court case about Tom Robinson an African American man that was accused of beating Mayella Ewell.…

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Most people define courage as a man with a gun. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird we follow the characters Atticus Scout and Jem Finch. Through the book Jem figures it out the hard way and scout gets is kind of easy. Jem showed his courage by helping scout when ever she needed help. Scout shows courage by standing up for her dad when the kids in her school called him a nigger lover.…

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Inherent flaws that exist in an individual should not discredit his entire humanity, rather, the flaws should make him seem more human. In everyone’s life, there is a hero that he or she looks up to and aspires to be; this hero is so infallible and ideal that there can be no room for faults. For some, a single fault can shatter that view of a perfect hero entirely, and further destroy the image they try to achieve. In the novel Go Set a Watchman, set after the events of the widely acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee reveals the true nature of the story’s hero Atticus Finch. The understanding that ideals and beliefs between people could drastically differ over time can allow one to emphasize with other people.…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Someone once stated, “Courage is the ability to do something difficult even when there’s a risk.” Courage plays a large role in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Throughout the novel, courage was seen through the characters Jem Finch, Scout Finch, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch. These characters all demonstrate excessive ideas of courage as the novel goes on. Through the characters minds there is fear involved, but was overcome by their courageous actions.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In particular, his character best exemplifies courage in the book. Atticus shows courage multiple ways, for one he stood up for what was right in very hard situations, he went against mainstream society, and he did what was necessary even though he knew it could lead to him or his kids getting hurt. This is seen through the book as his character unfolds, helping Tom Robinson, raising his children Scout and Jem, and who he is around everyone in the town. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, shows that courage is not just one thing and isn’t easy. Throughout the book she shows that courage can get you hurt, that it can help people, change things for the better, and that is it good to go against the grain…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Another way Atticus proves he’s brave, is when he took on Tom’s case. During the Great Depression and in Maycomb County, White’s never defended blacks. Atticus, however, is not like all the others in Maycomb County and believes all men are created equal in court. Therefore, defending Tom was a risk taker for Atticus. In the story, Atticus’ reason for…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A black man’s word against a white man’s, Atticus has no hope. He foreshadows this to his children after the death of Mrs Dubose when he tells them that courage is ‘when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.’ Atticus’ courage here is his moral courage, the courage to stand by your own principles when no one else agrees. It is in the quote above we see that Atticus’ courage and strength of character are what made him an ideal candidate to defend Tom Robinson and why exactly Maycomb ‘trusts him to do it right’.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Atticus Finch’s Strengths and Weaknesses Regardless of one’s personality and actions, every character possesses some type of strength and weakness that make them unique. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Nelle Harper Lee the character Atticus Finch is a father who has been known for his appreciable qualities as a father, but he is not the perfect father. Atticus does have an inferior trait that devalues his status as the perfect father.…

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Sometimes people may be on a razor’s edge when it comes to making the right decisions. However, I believe that no matter the consequences you need to do whatever’s right. This is what it means to be morally courageous. In her novel, Harper Lee makes the general statement that even though some decisions may be hard to make based on your lifestyle or social status, you need to be able to choose to do the right thing. Being morally courageous is to take actions for moral reasons despite the possible consequences.…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How difficult is it to be different than everyone else? According to Scout Finch, it 's not that hard. To Kill A Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee that explains the life of a girl named Jean Louise Finch. The nickname that everyone calls her is Scout. Other members of the book, including Scout, have a quality of being different.…

    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays