Atticus Finch represents morality and reason in 'To kill a mockingbird.' Atticus is among one of the most respected people in Maycomb. He shows great empathy throughout the book, as he understands money is a hard thing to come by, so he accepts vegetables as payment. Atticus does whatever he can to help or make life easier for the people of Maycomb. He sticks to his beliefs no matter how badly it reflects on him. Atticus always treats people with respect wether he likes or dislikes them; this is also something he tries to teach his children. As a single parent, Atticus has a quite unique style of parenting, he treats Scout and Jem like adults, letting them make decisions for themselves. He is stern but very fair and the only time he lectures his children is when he wants them to learn about how wrong it is to take advantage of those less fortunate or less educated. This is also a philosophy he uses when it comes to animals by his refusal to hunt. Atticus wants the world to be a place of equality, which is also one of the reasons Scout and Jem refer to him using his first name rather than father, because he and his children see each other as equals. Among one of his many beliefs, Atticus believes that the justice system should be colour blind. Atticus knows that Tom will still be proven guilty, but he remains hopeful and is very dedicated to making a wrongly accused man innocent. I think Atticus didn't put so much effort into Tom's case because he was an African American, but because Atticus knew Tom was innocent. I really don't think it would've mattered if Tom was white, Atticus stands up for what is right. In my opinion, Atticus is one of the most resilient characters in the book, when Maycomb finds out that he is defending a black man, he knows what people will say and think. Atticus is unaffected by Mrs. Dubose's abuse as they walk past her house, he is unaffected by the angry mob, he is even unaffected by Bob Ewell spitting on him. Atticus stands up for the mockingbirds of the story that can't stand up for themselves.
One quote from the book that I think best describes Atticus Finch is one which was said by his long-time friend, Miss Maudie admires about him is that "Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets." ~Page 51, Chapter 5.
I really like the quote you have used at the end of your blog to sum up Atticus - it isn't one that many people focus on but I think it is important as it says a lot about him... that he doesn't present an 'image' for others based on what he thinks they want to see instead, he is his 'own person' and this is something to be admired in a town and era where stereotypes and perceptions heavily influenced people's actions. Well done.
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A year 10 English student whom is studying Harper Lee's "To kill a mockingbird."