Atticus Is A Good Father

Words: 574
Pages: 3

“First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (Lee 39) This influential quote, said by Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird, is a quote many use to better understand the people around them. Literature fans and critics around the world have heralded Atticus as one of the greatest fathers ever penned by a writer. Yet some still claim his parenting is of mediocrity. However, Atticus deserves his title of a good father. He teaches his children valuable lessons, he treats them with respect, and he shows genuine care …show more content…
Regarding the first statement, when Scout has issues at school regarding the controversial trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus tells her, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change . . . it's a good one, even if it does resist learning” (Lee 101). Atticus understand the impact his children will have based on Robinson vs. Maycomb, so he advises them to not resort to brute force at any slight trigger. This in turn comes into play later on in the story, and helps Scout and Jem to become better people. Expanding on that, Atticus teaches both of his children with equal and utmost respect. In Chapter 9, Lee writes, “When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness sake. But don't make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion faster than adults, and evasion simply muddles 'em” (116). Unlike many adults, Atticus’s parenting is unique because he isn’t afraid to tell his children things by the way they are. He never “dumbs it down” or tries to evade them from any bit of the truth, which makes them feel less like “simply children”, and more like equals in intellect and status. Aside from …show more content…
These people usually say that Atticus is not a strong father figure because his children are afraid of him, he allows his children get into dangerous situations, and he is weak-minded. Naysayers claim that Jem and Scout