Motivation In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Motivation is what makes or breaks us, we can only choose what path it takes in the nature of our choices. Atticus, one of the main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird is motivated by his personal belief in which he emplaces in his children the desire to be good to all people and the wish to see justice done. Scout is very driven by curiosity, motivated by her will to acquire more knowledge. Her brother jem, however, is driven by his will to be respected by everyone he comes into contact with. Atticus’ parenting style, in my opinion, is what forged these deep desires in his children. As a single father of two children Atticus has already learnt that he must support his family on his own, but he also must instill a humble character in his kin. As a lawyer, you’d expect that Atticus wouldn't be at all morally concerned about his decisions, that is quickly proven wrong by his desire for justice. He knows this, and he explains morals and his dilemma to his daughter:
“‘Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. 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
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A child of her age is developing her world views so it can be very difficult for a parent to shelter them at school from the opinions of other parents. Atticus however does so wonderfully and teaches scout to do good unto all. Her curiosity for knowledge is not easily satisfied by this. The way she has the same point of view as Atticus has a big impact on her opinion during the trial; because most of the white people in the town are motivated to perpetuate racism, just like Mr.Ewell. At that time and debatably not now, the South United States has had a lack of respect towards African American