Atticus was a good lawyer because although he was appointed to defend Tom Robinson and the case was unpopular, he still tried his best. He wanted to defend Tom Robinson even if it seemed impossible for them to win.
When Scout asks him why he is doing something so unpopular, he tells her that he could not hold his head up or tell his children what to do if he didn’t take the case.
Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. (Ch. 9)
Atticus is willing to risk his reputation in town and the effect it will have on his family, because it is his job and because he believes that taking the case and defending Tom Robinson is what is right. He explains to his brother, Jack, that he hopes his children can get through the case without becoming racists themselves.
But do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. (Ch. 9)
Even when they lose, Atticus does his best to encourage Tom Robinson that it does not need to be the end.
Atticus assured us that nothing would happen to Tom Robinson until the higher court reviewed his case, and that Tom had a good chance of going free, or at least of having a new trial. He was at Enfield Prison Farm, seventy miles away in Chester County. (Ch. 23)
Unfortunately, the case doesn’t make it that far. Tom Robinson decides he has had enough of the unfair legal system and is shot trying to climb the prison fence, essentially committing suicide. Atticus is saddened by this, because he really thought that they had a chance at appeal.
Atticus is a good brother to Jack because he put him through medical school.
During his first five years in Maycomb, Atticus practiced economy more than anything; for several years thereafter he invested his earnings in his brother’s education. John Hale Finch was ten years younger than my father, and chose to study medicine at a time when cotton was not worth growing … (Ch. 1)
When Jack spanks Scout for fighting with her cousin, Atticus counsels him on dealing with children. He does not blame Jack for hitting his daughter. He just tells him that he had the right solution to the wrong problem.
Atticus is a good sister to Alexandra because he tries to listen to her and incorporate her point of view in raising his children, even though he does not agree with it at all. For example, family name and status is very important to Alexandra. Atticus tries to explain this to Scout and Jem.
In his lawyer’s voice, without a shade of inflection, he said: “Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon you and Jean Louise that you are not from run-of-the-mill people, that you are the product of several generations’ gentle breeding—” (Ch. 13)
Scout is upset by this, because it seems to contradict her father’s basic teachings on dealing with people. Atticus treats everyone with respect, whether the person is a Cunningham, a Robinson, or a Ewell. When Scout gets upset and asks him if they really need to remember “everything Finches are supposed to do…” he tells her to forget it.
No comments:
Post a Comment