To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a timeless, coming of age story conveying the themes of equality, the importance of moral education, and the coexistence of good and evil. Morals should be passed down from one generation to the next through parents. Good parenthood includes being a role model to one's children and teaching them what is right and fair. Some may argue that Atticus, from To Kill a Mockingbird, is not a suitable father to Jem and Scout because he commits moral turpitude when he lets Scout wear overalls, fight, and do things that are considered lady-like. However, Atticus is proven an exceptional father because he teaches the kids respect, is a role model to them both, and most importantly, he tells them the truth.
Atticus teaches Jem and Scout respect by teaching them manners and telling them what is appropriate. Scout is a very impatient, young girl with a short temper.
She becomes enraged easily and gets into fights when she hears something that she does not want to. Once, she got into a fight with a boy in school, Walter Cunningham, because he got her into trouble with the teacher. Atticus told her that she has to see things from another's point of view before she acts up, and to hold in her anger instead of acting out violently. Also, when she gets into arguments with her Aunt Alexandra, Atticus tells her to bite her tongue, even if her Aunt is wrong. Another way Atticus teaches them respect is by teaching Jem how to be a gentleman. Their neighbor, Mrs. Dubose, is an old woman, usually in her wheelchair, that yells obscene things at Jem and Scout when they pass by her house. Instead of fighting fire with fire and yelling...