threatens by guns. Atticus knows that bravery is more than the decision to carry a gun. It can be seen in the conversation between Jem and Scout below.
“You know he wouldn’t carry a gun, Scout. He ain’t even get one - ” said Jem. “You know he didn’t even have one down at the jail that night.”
“This is different,” I said, “ we can ask him to borrow one.” We did, and he said, “nonsense.” p. 220
Another fact, which shows that Atticus is a positive father figure, is his democratic attitude in treating his children. When his children fuss, he gives the same
opportunity to his children to explain why they do so. Scout reveals the idea of Atticus’ democratic attitude when she protests his uncle for not giving her chance to
explain why she fights with her cousin, Francis. Scout compares the way his uncle treats her with his father:
“Well, in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it-you just lit right of me. When Jem an’ I fuss Atticus doesn’t ever just
listen to Jem’s side of it, he hears mine too …” p. 90
In raising his children, Atticus also treats them as an adult. He speaks in a clear matter - of – fact way and answers his children question directly. It is including bad
language terms. It can be seen below. “What’s rape?” I asked him that night.
“He signed, and said rape was carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent.” p. 137
Atticus has a reason why he lets his children especially Scout produce bad languages. According to him it is one of children stage and it will disappear through
time. It can be seen from his statement when his brother, Jack, tells him that he does not answer Scout’s question about “ a whore lady”. Moreover, Jack tells Scout about
Lord Melbourne. The Atticus’ speech below shows the proof. “Jack When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ shake.
But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ‘em. No,” my father
mused, “you had the right answer this afternoon, but the wrong reason. Bad languages is a stage all children to go through, and it dies with the time when
they learn they’re not attracting attention with it.” p. 92
As a father, Atticus always acts firmly but never uses hand to remain them if they start to cross the line and do a mistake. He prefers using persuasive approach
rather than the repressive one. He appreciates his children’s efforts to main him even it is still far from his hope. It can be seen from his conversation with his brother, Jack,
about Scout. It can be seen in the following conversation between Atticus and Jack. “Atticus, you’ve never laid a hand on her.”
“I admit that. So far I’ve been able to get by with threats. Jack, she minds me as well as she can. Doesn’t scratch half the time, but she tries… she knows I
know she tries. That’s what makes difference.” p. 92
4.1.4. Being Intelligent
From Murphy’s “conversation of others”, “speech”, and “reaction”, it can be inferred that Atticus is intelligent. Atticus likes to read a lot and to spend his spare
time by reading. Scout describes that Atticus does not use his spare time like “schoolmate’s father did. He never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or
drink or smoke. He sat in the living room and read.” p. 94 Atticus reads various books written by various writers. He also likes listening
to today’s news in the radio. It has been his routine activity after dinner. His habit shows that he likes to be well informed, as revealed by Scout bellow:
“But I had started at them all evenings in my memory, listening to the news of the day, Bills To Be Enacted into Laws, the diaries of Lorenzo Dow –
anything Atticus happened to be reading when I crawled in to his lap every night.” p. 22
Atticus’ intelligence can also be seen when he has conversation with Walter Cunningham, Scout’s classmate, about farming. Even though he is a lawyer he
understands about farming. “Atticus greeted Walter and began a discussion about crops neither Jem and I
could follow…Atticus was expounding upon farm problems when Walter interrupted …” p. 28
By his action in the Tom Robinson’s trial, Atticus shows his intelligent in the witnesses’ cross-examination process. Based on the sheriff’s description about
Mayella’s injuries, he shows to the juries and to all the trial visitors that she has been injured using two hands and has been beaten up by a left-handed man. Thus, the man
should not be Tom Robinson because “His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side… I could see that it was no use to him.” p.
188. Atticus seems to have his own suspect. He suspects Mr. Ewell, Mayella’s own father, as the man who has beaten her up. It is because Mr. Ewell is left handed. To
show this fact to all juries and the trial visitors, he cleverly tricks Mr. Ewell by asking him writing his name on an envelope.
Mr. Ewell wrote on the back of the envelope and looked up complacently to see Judge Taylor looking at him as if he were some fragrant gardenia in full
bloom on the witness stand, to see Mr. Gilmer half-sitting, half standing at his table. The jury was watching him, one man leaning over with his hands over
the railing. Whats so intrestin? he asked.
Youre left handed Mr. Ewell, said Judge Taylor. p. 180
In his closing argument, once again, Atticus shows that he is a highly accomplished man of great intelligence. He counters part Thomas Jefferson opinion
that “all men are created equal” p. 207. He says that “all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe – some people are smarter than others…
some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of most men.” p. 208. There is only one human institution that makes “the stupid man the equal of Einstein” that is
the court.
4.1.5. Being Democratic
From the “speech’ and “conversation of other’ in the novel, I can be inferred t hat Atticus is a democratic man. Atticus is a respected man and shows it by respecting
others. He respects all people regardless of race, social status, and creed, for example, he forbids Scout in using the term “Nigger” to call black people even though it is a
common term that usually used by white people in their society in calling black people. Atticus knows that the word “Nigger” is offensive to black people. He shows
the respect and common courtesy, which is very rare of a wealthy white male. “Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.”
“ ‘s what everybody at school says.” “From now on it’ll be everybody less one…” p. 79
Atticus also shows his respect toward people from his own race that has lower social status than him. It is when he accepts Scout’s classmate, Walter Cunningham’s son, a
poor farmer, to have lunch with him. He treats Walter as he treats another guess in the same status. Scout describes this situation as the following quotation,
“Atticus greeted Walter and began a discussion about crops neither Jem nor I could follow…. he and Atticus talked together like two men, to the
wonderment of Jem and me.” p. 28
From the quotation above, it also can be seen that Atticus really knows how to associate with others. He really applies his principle that “You never really understand
a person until you consider life from his point of view…until you climb into his skin
and walk around in it” p. 34. He makes a conversation using a topic that is familiar to Walter, farming. It seems that he enjoys his conversation with Walter.
Atticus insists his principle that he respects and loves all people equally, especially black people when Scout asks him whether he is a “Nigger lover”. It is
related to Atticus’ decision to defend Tom Robinson, a black people, in a trial. He answers, “I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody…” p. 113. Atticus wants to
show to Scout that there is nothing wrong to love everybody equally, including black people. Everyone has the same rights to be respected and loved.
In raising his children, Atticus also demonstrates his democratic character. He puts his two children in equal position. He does not treat one more special than the
other. It can be seen from Scout’s statement when she protests his Uncle, Jack, for being unfair in treating her after quarrelling with her cousin, Cecil Jacobs. His uncle
does not give opportunity to her to explain why she quarrels with her cousin and blames her for it. She says to his uncle that Atticus always gives her or Jem the same
opportunity to explain what really happen when they are quarreling. “Well, in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my
side of it-you just lit right of me. When Jem an’ I fuss Atticus doesn’t ever just listen to Jem’s side of it, he hears mine too …” p. 90
4.2. The Motivation of Atticus Finch in Defending Tom Robinson
This analysis is divided into two parts. The first is the motivation toward his children and the second is the motivation toward the society. According to Bootzin,
motivation is the intentions, desires, goals, and needs that determine human and animal behavior Bootzin et al., 1983: 366. People conduct an action with motive.
This motive leads them to behave in their manner to get some achievement. It would
