Atticus Character Analysis Essay

Words: 698
Pages: 3

Atticus is one of the main characters in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and is a very vital character in the story. Throughout the story, it is hard to say that Atticus had changed himself, but what is noticeable is his kid’s view on Atticus. In Part Ⅰ of the book, it can be seen how unique Atticus raises Scout and Jem. In his method, Atticus is usually honest and stern towards Scout and Jem, especially when teaching them life lessons. It’s obvious how Atticus does not want Jem or Scout following the footsteps of other Maycomb residents as he says to Scout, “There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who’ll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance.” (Lee, 224) This quote show Atticus’ maturity and honesty towards the kids whenever he teaches them about society. This kind of parenting causes Scout and Jem to not think about Atticus as a hero, but more of a person to …show more content…
That is, until a mad dog lurched into the neighborhood. Calpurnia, the maid for the Finch family, called Atticus while he was out at work, telling him that there was a mad dog roaming around the streets. Immediately, he called Mr. Tate, the sheriff, and came over as quickly as possible. When it came to facing the dog, Mr. Tate didn’t believe he could shoot it himself, so he handed the rifle to Atticus, which was hesitant at first, but took the gun and shot the dog. With Jem and Scout watching in the back, they saw Atticus swiftly shooting the dog, which stunned them both, especially Jem as he said after, “ ‘d you see him Scout? ‘d you see him just standin’ there?... ‘n’ all of a sudden he relaxed all over… I hafta aim for ten minutes ‘fore I can hit somethin’...” (Lee, 101) This event changed Atticus’ view from Scout and Jem. Now they realize that Atticus was just like other fathers in Maycomb and they start to idolize him a bit