Zachary Estes
Mrs. Watts
3rd Block
5 February 2015
To Kill a Mockingbird
What kind of father do you want, would you want if you’re living in the 1930’s in the south. I would want a father that is wise and stands up for people kind of like Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is the father of Jem and Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is a lawyer that is trying to stop a man named Tom Robinson for going to jail for being falsely accused of the rape of the daughter of Bob Ewell. Along the way Atticus teaches his children important life lessons and how to respect everyone no matter what color they are. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses theme, static character, and tone to characterize Atticus as a wise hero.
The main theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is innocence and here are some quotes that can show how Atticus made up the main theme and showed it in the book. Atticus is taking Jem and Scout out shooting with their air rifles and Atticus says this quote “shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119) and then Miss Maudie explained why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird and said this quote “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up peoples gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119). The quotes show that mockingbirds are innocent just like good people and that they just only want to please others. So then Scout and Jem start using what Atticus and Miss Maudie said to relate to the Tom Robinson case. Miss Maudie is talking about Atticus with Jem and Scout and Miss Maudie says this quote “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on public streets.” (61) This quote shows that Atticus is loving, caring, and innocent everywhere he goes and stays. Therefor it comes to show that Atticus is a important part of the theme of innocence. This is why I think Atticus is important to the theme and that he is a wise hero. In the book I see Atticus as a static character and that he stays the same though out the book but he does change he son Jem to be more like Atticus. The quote happens in the beginning of the book and Mr.Cunningham is talking to Atticus about some important business and then Mr.Cunningham says this to Atticus “before Mr.Cunningham left he said, Mr.Finch, I don’t know when I’ll ever be able to repay you. Let that be the least of your worries Walter, said Atticus” (27).This shows that Atticus respects people and people respect him for what he does. It also shows that Atticus understands the Cunninghams problems and works out a plan around it. This quote happens just after the court and atticus is starting to leave and all of the colored people at the court stand up for him and Reverend is getting Scout to stand up.”Miss Jean Louise stand up. Your father’s passin” (283). This shows that people still have respect for him for trying to save Tom. Even though Atticus lost he was still able to prove that Tom was innocent. This is my proof that Atticus is a static character. The tone of a book is always important