TKaMB Blog Prompt Five

  Harper Lee’s novel is full of interesting and richly painted characters. Which character was your favorite and why?

  In To Kill A Mockingbird, my favorite character is Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch represents justice and equality in the novel, standing up for the human rights that the Blacks are rightfully entitled to. He is also a great father, treating his children wisely and teaching them about what is morally correct, instead of what is politically correct.

  Atticus Finch is regarded as the novel's most upright character, a gentleman, and therefore, a pacifist-he condones violence in any form. He is also brutally honest, moral, open-minded, accepting, and devoid of prejudices that influences most other Maycomb residents. He has been described as a hero who fights for causes that he knows is right faithfully, even when the cause is hopeless. No, especially when the cause is hopeless.

  Although Atticus Finch is appointed to defend Tom Robinson by Judge John Taylor, he took the case as a personal mission to defend the Blacks from Bob Ewell. He is also open-minded and accepting of others, like when he teaches his children to not strike back at other children, and he greets Mrs. Dubose politely every time he meets her, in spite of her consistent insults (her favorite one being "nigger-lover").

  Despite Atticus's occupation, which requires him to defend his clients no matter what his personal feelings, Atticus is guided by a moral compass which seem to be present on him alone, which is contray to the popular image of modern lawyers. Atticus is well respected by his children as their father, and they also admires him for his sense of justice and equality. The latter value, to some extent, is displayed when he decided to stop shooting despite being the finest shot in Maycomb County, as he "feels that God has given him an unfair advantage over other living things".

  Atticus Finch could also be described as a maverick, as his whole character is entirely different from the other townsfolk; he raises his children flexibally and treats them with respect, and not physical threats and demands for letter-perfectness like the "traditional" Maycomb way. He also thinks of them as his equals, as his children calls him by his name instead of "Daddy" or "Dad", and he will consider his children's arguments respectfully and sometimes revising his decisions.

  In conclusion, I think Atticus Finch is a character that is the very shining example of forthrightness, courage, resilience, and unbiasedness, completely deserving of the title given to him, "The greatest hero in an American film".