To Kill A Mockingbird: Is Atticus A Good Father?

Improved Essays
“To Kill a Mockingbird”
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” - Atticus (Lee, 30). To some people, Atticus may be considered a bad father. This idea can be debated upon over and over again, but the point of this essay is to tell you that he is a good father. If you agree with the idea that Atticus may not be at home constantly, but overall does a good job as a father, this may be for you.
The phrase “Atticus is not a good father, considering the fact he is barely ever home and doesn’t pay attention to his children much” may be said over and over again. This does not make it true. One quote proving that the children had looked up to Atticus
…show more content…
This statement proves that Atticus wants his children to succeed in life and make good choices. He is teaching his children that courage does not come from a man with a weapon, but instead a person who has strength in the face of pain or a difficult situation. Yet another statement proving Atticus cares for his children is “Try fighting with your head for a change…it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning.”- Atticus (Lee, 76). This statement from Atticus proves to the reader he wants the best for his kids and wants them to make the right choices. Lastly, and most importantly, the fact that Atticus defends Tom Robinson really does stick out. Instead of being racist and being like the others of Maycomb, he goes out of his way to defend Tom. This proves he cares about what his children think of him, and Atticus prides himself on being a fair and unbiased …show more content…
The first example proving Atticus is a good example for his children is that he defends Tom Robinson. He does this while disregarding the fact that Maycomb is a very racist town. The second example proving Atticus is a reliable person and a good role model is the fact that Miss Maudie says “Atticus is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee, 45). This simple quote from another perspective proves that Atticus is a well rounded person and is reliable anytime and anywhere. The last thing for proving Atticus is a good role model is this quote: "Scout," said Atticus, "n***er-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody." (Lee, 108). This can be considered the most important quote proving Atticus really sticks out from the others in Maycomb and can be considered a very good role model. He does not follow the leader, he IS the leader. He does not take the opinions of others and use them to shape himself. Instead of doing this, he does what is right and does what is best for

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Atticus And Racism

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In these days of the South many people are racist and their kids started to become racist as well; however, Atticus strives to teach his kids differently. Atticus is good parent because he steered his children on the morally correct behavior which was hard during that time, down south, he sets an example in front of his children, when he unsuccessfully defends an innocent black man, and cares about his children.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A good father is a man who can be constantly busy, but always makes time to be there for his kids. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus who is the father and sole parent of Scout and Jem, displays qualities of an ideal father. To begin Atticus is very comforting when his kids are upset about something. When his kids argue and one of them ends up with their feelings hurt he is always there to cheer them up and help them through whatever happened. We see this when Jem yells at Scout when she mentions the court and makes her upset, she immediately runs to Atticus to seek comfort.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Fair Actions

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    He is the one character who is always fair and honorable throughout the entire novel - no matter what. Along with his peculiar parenting techniques, he shows that he is not like the majority of people in Maycomb. Atticus’s views were obviously advanced for his times, and he probably had the same views as many people today. Despite his divergent views, Atticus was respected and looked up to by the community. This applies to the today world; you can have different views from everyone else and speak up about it while still being admired.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Father Quotes

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The first reason Atticus is a good father is because he listens to his children. Whenever something happened Atticus wanted to hear the full story before deciding what to do. One good example of this is when Scout is talking to Uncle Jack. Scout said to Uncle Jack, “When Jem an’ I fuss Atticus doesn’t ever just listen to Jem’s side of it, he hears mine too” (Lee 113).…

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Atticus was an example to his children in many ways, he did not give up on his clients, and he treated everyone with respect. Atticus realizes how much he needs his children in his life when they almost get killed in the end. Atticus teaches the children life lessons by taking them to a court date and having them listen to the case. In the end of the novel, the children seemed to have more respect for everyone in town.…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    I believe Atticus was an excellent parent at his time. He was not judgmental based on the color of anyone’s skin, like Tom Robinson which is why he said, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” When he took his case in court nobody liked Atticus for defending a black man, but he did it anyway, because he knew he was innocent. He didn’t think Tom did it just because he was black, unlike what most of the white people thought. I also think he’s a superb father because he never hit his children, Jem and Scout, but they were still very well disciplined.…

    • 189 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” (Pg. 112) Atticus uses these wise words to teach his children that they must fight for everything that they believe in.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Evelyn Waugh, a prolific journalist and writer, once said, “Instead of this absurd division into sexes they ought to class people as static and dynamic.” When looking at this quote and its relation to the story in To Kill a Mockingbird, one can recognize that the different characters in the novel showed varying amounts of development. Some remained the same in almost all aspects as static characters, while others underwent changes as dynamic characters. By analyzing their personalities, one can easily see that Scout Finch, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley are three characters who exhibit traits of being either static or dynamic characters.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Finch Parenting

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Throughout the past 60 years, Parenting has become corrupt in every way now known today. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird the author, Harper Lee gives reason to why you shouldn't ever kill a mockingbird relating back to a specific character. Atticus Finch a father of two is challenged with much pressure as to resolving a case study against a black man. Throughout his case study his children are shamed upon as being said there father is a “negro lover”, as this plays out Atticus’s parenting role is truly shown and is debatable whether or not it is correct or incorrect. Atticus believes his children should have free range to mostly anything beneficial and that they need to experiment in order to learn, along with always being there for him.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Finch Good Father

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages

    From reading this novel and by analysing Atticus’ methods of parenting, one could learn to be a better parent and person in the eyes of society, and above all, in the eyes of his or her children. It comes to no surprise that Atticus Finch has been named “the top movie dad we’d use to build the perfect father” and is a role model to people all over the…

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus, in contrast to many other characters in the novel, does not accept the institutionalized racism that is entrenched into Maycombian society. Instead, he fights racial prejudice because he views it as fundamentally flawed and stemming from a lack of empathy and understanding for those outside one’s social group. Furthermore, Atticus’ emotional investment in Tom Robinson’s case shows the personal level on which racism affects him. When discussing with Scout why he was defending Tom Robinson, Atticus explained, “… every lawyer gets a case at least once in his life that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess.”…

    • 1318 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Model Parent Atticus Finch is the father of the protagonist Scout and her brother Jem in the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is definitely evident that he is a good parent to his two children. Atticus is an exemplary father due to his sense of fairness and his good morals. First and foremost, Atticus Finch is a very fair man to his children because he always takes their opinions into account.…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Atticus is a Good Parent in To Kill a Mockingbird There are many people who think that Atticus is a good parent but some feel he is a bad parent. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a great book that is filled with many good stories and messages. One of the biggest debates however is whether Atticus is a good father or not. While Atticus may make some mistakes as a parent, overall he is an admirable father.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout history, society’s expectations have largely impacted people’s opinions and behavior because of constant environmental pressures. The impacts shown throughout movies, books, and history amplify society’s effects on a person’s moral value and beliefs and are created based on set standards. Although many people fall under societal pressures and neglect to stand up for what is right, there are some who try to change society for the good, even if they are standing alone. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is presented as a moral compass for Maycomb citizens and he bravely works against stereotypes and injustices while facing insults and being publicly shamed. Despite becoming a public target for not following social rules, Atticus…

    • 1576 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus always tries to provide his kids with the correct answer and alway give them a wise answer for anything they need. Atticus does what right even when he knows the wrong is going to happen in the end. That 's why he takes Tom case and fights for his equal rights all the way to the end of his life. He thinks that each and every person should be seen equally that why when someone calls you a nigger lover, in his mind that person it just misguided. It does not hurt him he really just feels sorry for these kinds of people because that can 't realize the simple act of being equal and kind.…

    • 1941 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays