Young Writers Society

i am in 3rd year at high school. i would like to post this here to see what you think cause i think you are more brutally honest than my teacher. she will either give this a 1 or a 2 or a 3 depending on how good it is (1's the best, 3's the worst, this is standard grade marking id you live in britain and are farmiliar with it). i want you to give me a grade you think i deserve as well as your valuable comments. i will post my real grade when i get it. thank you very much.

this focuses most on the character Atticus Finch. the question is this -

"Harper Lee's portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird makes him almost universally admired and liked. Do you agree? Comment on the techniques used by the author in her prtrayal of this character."

To Kill A Mockingbird – A Critical Evaluation

Emily Davidson

Atticus Finch is from the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Her portrayal of Atticus makes him almost impossible to dislike.

Atticus lives and works as a lawyer in the little town of Maycomb with his two children, Jem and Scout (Jean-Louis), He has been called apon to defend a black man, Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a white woman. However, he faces resistance and slander from the town’s people of Maycomb who are riddled with racism and prejudice. Atticus still fights the losing battle as an example to his children even though, in such a town, everyone seems against him.

One of his most striking characteristics is his complete tolerance if all human beings. Black, white, rich or poor are all the same to him. When Walter Cummingham comes to dinner, Scout is incredulous at the way he eats his tea. Although it is Calpurnia who punishes Scout in the end, Atticus first warns her that she should not make people uncomfortable because they may do things differently. He himself speaks to Walter about farming and subjects that might make him a little more at home. Another example of this would be when he is explaining about the Ewells to Scout. He does not condemn them or criticise them in anyway, he just tells her about them in a matter-of-fact way and allows her to decide for herself what she thinks about them. This shows that he does not believe in putting ideas into other people’s heads or judging a family by the way they live.

Despite his many assets and talents, Atticus remains humble and modest, to the point of him children considering him as “feeble”. Scout complains “there was nothing Jem or I could say about him when our classmates said “my father”.” However, although his children are initially disappointed in their boring father, he proves them wrong in the very same chapter by shooting down a mad dog at a considerable distance with one shot. They later learn that as a young man Atticus had been labelled “The best shot in the county” but as Miss Maudie explains, Atticus is “civilised at heart” and that “he put him gun down when he realised that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things”. This is a perfect example to show that he is humble and gentle and that is it not in him to exploit such a deadly talent.

As a father and a widower, Atticus gains the reader’s sympathy almost instantly. Calpurnia helps him by cleaning the house, cooking the meals and disciplining his children in a way he would not have the heart to do so himself. This is a further example of his tolerance that he could trust a black woman in that particular time and place to have such authority over the children and to include her as a valuable member of the family.

Atticus holds very high morals and examples for his children to follow. He is very aware that his decision to defend Tom Robinson has put a strain on Scout and Jem. But he keeps reminding them to “hold your head hight and keep your fists down”. Through making them read to Mrs Dubose and watch her struggle with her morphine addiction, finally quitting the drug just before she dies, he teaches them what real bravery is. He tells them, even though she had insulted him and the family that “she was a great lady” and “she was the bravest person I ever knew”. At his children’s’ shocked reactions he explains futher, that “I wanted you to see what real courage is… she died begotten to nothing and nobody”. This shows that he believes that fighting your own personal battles even though you know you are highly likely to fail is braver than fighting in any war or fist fight. He was preparing them for the trails that lay ahead.

Atticus does not believe in patronising anyone, no matter what their age and background. He treats Scout like and adult, telling off Uncle Jack for not answering her questions. “When a child asks you something, you answer him for goodness sake… Children are children but they can spot evasion quicker than adults”. Another example of this would be when he is questioning Mayella Ewell in court. He still calls her “Miss” and “Ma’am” and shows the same common courtesy he would show anyone, even though she lives in a home where such manners are so non-existent, that she insists that Atticus is making fun of her and giving her “sass”. This makes the reader feel very sorry of Mayella who must usually be treated badly.

As a lawyer, Atticus is a very noble man, defending the innocent Tom Robinson even though he knows he must fail. This attitude is echoed in the advice he gives to his children. “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”. This is explained my Miss Maudie that mockingbirds do not harm to anyone and do nothing but sing, so it would be terrible to shoot such an innocent creature like the mockingbird. Tom Robinson one of the mockingbirds of this story and Atticus strives to defend him against being killed simply for being a black man, thus earning the book it’s title.

In conclusion, thanks to Harper Lee’s portrayal of Atticus, it is surely impossible to dislike him. He is thoughtful, respectful, humble and honourable and though some people may argue that he is a little too perfect to be realistic, I think that Atticus Finch is a very real and interesting character and my favourite of this book.

thanks very much from reading, please comment.