To Kill A Mocking Bird - A Book Review

The novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, features a well-educated lawyer, Atticus Finch. His appearance as a deeply sophisticated man that has very high moral standards sets him apart from his peers in Macomb. His view of humanity defines him as the ethical cannon for his community. He single handedly makes the legal profession appear to be ideal. Atticus Finch is a martyr and moral icon for his community.

Atticus is willing to sufferer for the cause of another. He is prepared to risk his social standing, his and his family’s physical safety and even professional reputation, in order to defend a young, black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. This is why he may be personified as a mocking bird. Atticus took on this weighty task for no fee. He only wished to help his fellow man.

What makes Atticus different than other people in Maycomb is the air of nobility he exudes in his professional life.

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This attitude does not to carry over though, in to other aspects of his life. Atticus lets Jean Louise (A.K.A. Scout) behave in a way that serves as a prime example of the way of thinking that sets him apart from others in the South. His concerns and behaviors seemed to transcend the common cares of early 20^th century Southern ways.

Atticus does his best to instill his morals into his children. For example in chapter eleven, during an afternoon walk, as Jem and Scout pass Mrs. Dubose sitting on her poarch, Mrs. Dubose makes a loud and reproachful statement about their father Atticus "lawing for niggers" (p.110). She growls, "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (p.110). Because of this attack, on his way home, Jem tramples her prized camellias.

When Atticus comes home that evening and finds out about what Jem has done, he punishes him. Jem is required to read to Mrs. Dubose everyday for a month as punishment.

Although the most relevant dissimilarity, perhaps, amid Atticus Finch and the commoners of Maycomb, are his views on racism. The society at that time was riddled with Jim Crow type philosophies and intolerance.

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It is living in Maycomb, practicing law there, represented the people in the legislature, that see Atticus to be the man that he is. That is an intelligent, humble and wise person.

In summing up Atticus one may say he is the archetypal hero of the novel. He is the quintessential nonconformist of his day, strong in his beliefs yet modest. Filling the role of father figure he influences children in what he believes is right and just, even in a culture that does not treat all men as equal.