Attcius Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird"

Essay by noelckc August 2006

download word file, 4 pages 3.0

Atticus Finch, a lawyer, is a very compassionate person, and a person who is not afraid to challenge the unwritten laws of the South. In the trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus decides to defend Tom to the best of his ability. Atticus is given the trial by the judge and has the choice to defend Tom or let an inexperienced lawyer have the case, but Atticus accepts the case with a lot of thought. He accepts the case because he could not be a good parent to his children, in which setting a bad example of not doing the right thing. Atticus an excellent lawyer and parent is also compassionate for Tom when defending him. First off, he accepts the case which is good for tom because Atticus is probably one of the most experienced lawyers in Maycomb County. Atticus's choice is accept the case and to defend Tom Robinson to his fullest.

This internal conflict of Atticus choosing to defend Tom Robinson or not affected a lot of people not just Atticus. Jem and Scout, Atticus' children, could possibly face harassment at school, Scout especially. Scout's anger control, which is very poor, might beat up more people for complaining about her father defending an African American. Also Jem will have to face similar experiences like this. Also, Aunt Alexandria might have some say in what Atticus' decision might be. She might come down to live with because she wants to protect the image of the family so it is not totally wrecked by Atticus conflict. Not only will the Finch family be impacted but the community of Maycomb will also have something to say about his conflict.

Often in small towns the people who live in work there follow a similar belief system or have some of the...