Atticus Finch Character Sketch
Uploaded by moodyangel5 on Jan 07, 2002
Atticus Finch, a nearly fifty defense lawyer for small Maycomb County, is the honorable father of main character Jean Louise (Scout) and Jemermy (Jem). He is the lawyer for accused black rapist, Tom Robinson, and he tries to change injustices and racism in his small hometown. Atticus' inner conflicts and moral dilemmas are expertly written in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
Atticus's physical appearance doesn't play a big part in the novel. Atticus is nearly fifty and wears glasses because his left eye is nearly blind. We can assume Atticus normally does not look his age, because Jem and Scout say he looks as old as he was for once. Atticus is also a very neat person, (as seen on page 202), and "He never loosened a scrap of clothing until he undressed at bedtime, and to Jem and me, this was the equivalent of him standing before us stark naked." Jem and Scout are Atticus' own children and even they haven't seen him casually dressed. Atticus' character isn't focused of for its appearance, but for his personality and inner strength.
Atticus is very fair and just person. In a time when black people were still considered a lower class by almost all, Atticus believed in equality and equal rights for all. His beliefs were summarized in his powerful closing at Tom Robinson's trial. He said, on page 204, “Confident that you gentlemen, would go along with them on one assumption, the evil assumption, that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are immoral beings, that all Negroes are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that of one mind of their caliber. Which gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie that I don’t have to point out to you. You know the truth. The truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men can’t be trusted around women, black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.”Atticus fights for Tom Robinson with all of himself, he does not care about his skin color, only his innocence. Atticus represents all of the honorable people in Maycomb County.
Atticus Finch is a very honest man. When his children ask his difficult questions he doesn't try and sugarcoat his answers, he is blunt and...