Introduction
The book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is a classic that was first published in 1960. It is set in the 1930s in Maycomb, a small town in the state of Alabama. We get to look at life through the eyes of a child, Jean Louise Finch alias Scout. Scout lives with her father, who is an attorney and her brother Jem. Scout is blind to the racism and poverty-related problems in her town thanks to her childish innocence. Scout is introduced to these societal injustices when her father, Atticus Finch takes up a case involving a black man wrongly accused of beating and raping a white woman, much to the surprise of many in Maycomb. This trial bares out the extent of damage brought about by racism and poverty in society. During this trial, Scout gets to pick up her father’s attributes and life lessons (Lee, p 27).
Atticus Finch Description
Atticus Finch is an American man living in fictional Maycomb town in Alabama State. He was born and raised on their farm called Finch’s landing alongside his two siblings Alexandra and John. Atticus left to study law in Montgomery while still financing his brother’s education at Medical school. He then moved to Maycomb where he practised law. He is described by his daughter Scout as a man advanced in age and of non-imposing features. He is slender and tall with black hair greying thanks to ageing and the emotional weight of the case he is handling. Atticus has an almost-blind left eye, a defect he inherited from his family. He wears glasses to aid his sight (Crespino et al., p 115).
Why Atticus Finch Is Described as a Hero
Atticus Finch’s family is portrayed as the model family in the whole of Maycomb. He is widowed and therefore raises his kids on his own. Atticus teaches his children by example. Atticus is a fair and just man. He is tolerable and quick to forgive. He views his son and daughter as equals and teaches them to act with maturity. He does not undermine them. He instead lets them be independent and make their own choices. Atticus however, does not shy away from pointing out his kid’s mistakes and correcting them (Hartsell et al., p 267-268).
Maycomb is a racist town, and that is why many were surprised when Atticus took up Tom Robinson’s case defending him against the false allegation that he raped Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus is white but still upholds his sense of justice and fairness by defending a black man in a case where he already has minimal chances of winning because the jury is all-white. This heroic act pits Atticus against Maycomb residents, including his own family who feels he has betrayed his race and class (Van et al., p 51).
Mrs Dubose is a mean racial woman whose house is portrayed at the entry into Maycomb. She is known to sit in her porch to watch and judge passers-by. She takes a liking to annoying Scout and Jem by ridiculing them about their father’s choice to defend a black man. Jem gets annoyed one day and destroys her camellias. This prompts Atticus to order him to read for her every day as punishment, despite being aware of her comments about him. This brings out his compassionate nature.
Conclusion
The most outstanding trait of Atticus to me is his quest for justice and fairness for Tom Robinson despite his race. Atticus goes against societal grains and faces the anger directed to him and his children by the residents of Maycomb courageously. He does this despite the impossibility of him winning the case. If we all applied such justice, fairness and courage to our lives, the world would definitely be a better place.
