"He did not do the things our schoolmates' fathers did; he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke" (Lee 118). In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Atticus is viewed by his children as not an "average" father. Scout and Jem declare that Atticus does not do the things their schoolmates' fathers do. Although Scout and Jem may not realize at the time, but Atticus teaches them many valuable lessons through the journey of their lives'. Despite their age, the lessons that Atticus teaches them of courage and not to judge a person without knowing their full stories help develop the Finch children's character for the duration of the story. Throughout the novel Atticus influences Scout and Jem's abilities
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For example, in chapter 11 Jem gets angry with Mrs. Dubose because she is against Atticus for defending the Tom Robinson trial. As a source of anger, Jem cuts up Mrs. Dubose's camellias in her front yard. Atticus hears about Jem's nonsense behavior and creates a punishment for him to go read to Mrs. Dubose every day except Sundays. Further later, Jem complains to Atticus about the treacherous reading he has to do as his daily routine. After a few weeks have passed, Jem is off the hook and is completed with his punishment. One evening, Atticus comes home with a camellia in a box and hands it to Jem, and gives him the news that Mrs. Dubose had passed away. He explains that she had died from a morphine addiction and was having major withdrawals. Atticus reveals to Jem why he wanted her to read to Mrs. Dubose and this is what he stated; "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" (Lee 149). This quote from the story explains that Atticus wanted Jem to see what courage really is about. Because of the time he had spent with Mrs. Dubose he was able to realize what she was going through. Jem's punishment helped him further understand the whole meaning of courage and he gained respect from a different insight on human beings. While Atticus was explaining the whole meaning of courage, it took Jem quite some time to understand how his father had still respected Mrs. Dubose after the rude comments aimed towards him. On page 149, Atticus tells Jem of how great of a lady she was. Jem was stunned by that comment his father made. Jem then asked him why that was because she often made rude comments toward Atticus. Atticus told Jem that he still respected her as a great lady, even though she had her own personal views on things. Because of this, Jem is able to see Atticus'
For example, in chapter 11 Jem gets angry with Mrs. Dubose because she is against Atticus for defending the Tom Robinson trial. As a source of anger, Jem cuts up Mrs. Dubose's camellias in her front yard. Atticus hears about Jem's nonsense behavior and creates a punishment for him to go read to Mrs. Dubose every day except Sundays. Further later, Jem complains to Atticus about the treacherous reading he has to do as his daily routine. After a few weeks have passed, Jem is off the hook and is completed with his punishment. One evening, Atticus comes home with a camellia in a box and hands it to Jem, and gives him the news that Mrs. Dubose had passed away. He explains that she had died from a morphine addiction and was having major withdrawals. Atticus reveals to Jem why he wanted her to read to Mrs. Dubose and this is what he stated; "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" (Lee 149). This quote from the story explains that Atticus wanted Jem to see what courage really is about. Because of the time he had spent with Mrs. Dubose he was able to realize what she was going through. Jem's punishment helped him further understand the whole meaning of courage and he gained respect from a different insight on human beings. While Atticus was explaining the whole meaning of courage, it took Jem quite some time to understand how his father had still respected Mrs. Dubose after the rude comments aimed towards him. On page 149, Atticus tells Jem of how great of a lady she was. Jem was stunned by that comment his father made. Jem then asked him why that was because she often made rude comments toward Atticus. Atticus told Jem that he still respected her as a great lady, even though she had her own personal views on things. Because of this, Jem is able to see Atticus'