Values In To Kill A Mockingbird

Have you ever considered what other people value the most in their lives? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many of the characters throughout the plot take into consideration different values. The word value means relative worth, merit, or importance. If a person has values, it shows significance in how they live their lives and who they are. Characters in To Kill a Mockingbird all have values of their own and show them in the story. One example of people showing their values would be Atticus Finch. He always stuck to his value no matter what anyone else thought of them. Although there are some points where characters may have questioned what they value, they always tried to share their values with others. Respect, courage, …show more content…
A character that values family is Atticus Finch. He is the type of man to put his family first, make sure they are safe, and they have nothing to worry about. Atticus always protected his family no matter the circumstances. For example, Atticus saved his family from the mad dog walking around their neighborhood. When Atticus saw Tim Johnson, he took “the gun and walked out into the middle of the street” to shoot it (Lee 127). Atticus did not like to shoot living things because he thought he had an unfair advantage over them, but he knew what he had to do to keep his family safe. Tim was right in front of the Radley house when Atticus was about to shoot him. Everyone knew this was a risk because if he would have missed, the bullet would have gone into the home of the Radleys. Atticus took the shot and hit the mad dog to keep his family out of harm's …show more content…
Respect was an important value to Atticus and Jem Finch. Atticus respected every person he talked to, even if he barely knew them. Jem realized that respecting people was important, and even came to the point of respecting his sister at a young age. Courage was a value seen throughout the novel by Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Tom had the courage to tell his story in front of many people and an all white jury to try to save his life. Boo had the courage to come outside when the children needed protecting the most, even though he did not like to leave his house. Lastly, Atticus and Calpurnia valued family. Atticus would do anything to protect his family, no matter what he had to do. Calpurnia treated the Finch family like her own and made sure they had everything they needed. A handful of characters in this novel have shown us what they truly value the most in their