Being Honest The Characters of Atticus Finch

pay back. These problems provoke Scout to stop going to School. When Scout tells her willing not to go to School anymore because of the problems, Atticus asks Scout to post herself in her teacher’s side in order to understand her way of thinking and feeling. It can be seen from the speech below. “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kind of folks. 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. According to Atticus if Scout puts herself in her shoes she will see that it is “an honest mistake on her part”. No one can expect her “to learn all Maycomb’s ways in one day”, and cannot hold her responsibility when she knows no better. In this situation Atticus instills Scout with the acceptance value. Atticus teaches Jem about real-courage when he sends him to read for Mrs. Dubose every day after school for a month. It is as his punishment because of destroying her Camellia flowers. Jem is provoked to do it because she says that Atticus “lawed for niggers and trash”. Unknowingly, Jem is helping the woman overcome her morphine addiction. Atticus reveals his reason to send Jem reading for the woman after she passed away, and lets them evaluate the situation for themselves. It can be seen from Atticus’s action sending Jem to Mrs Dubose’s house. “Son, I told you that if you hadnt lost your head Id have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her. I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. Its when you know youre licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” p. 116 Atticus also becomes role models in his sense of bravery by refusing to carry a gun to protect Tom Robinson from a mob and himself from Bob Ewell after he 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.