To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee essays

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee essays To kill a Mockingbird, an acclaimed novel, by Harper Lee is recognised throughout the world. Having read her novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960 soon after its publication, I was compelled to consider the novel in greater depth but was particularly intrigued to examine the character of Atticus Finch as a hero. Maycomb, a fictional town in the Southern States of America plays host to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird follows a lawyer and his family prior to and during a legal case to defend a black male, Tom Robinson, charged of raping a white female, Mayella Ewell. This occurs in a very white orientated town. Atticus Finch, Attorney and father of two children only plays a brief part in the opening chapter but as this epic novel progresses so does his importance. It becomes apparent that Atticus Finch, arguably the novels main character, is extremely well respected in Maycomb by the majority of its residents. If someone expresses a dislike towards him he will still try to do his best to love everybody. Atticus is a man of extreme integrity and some say that it is through his mouth that Harper Lee expresses her own morality, an opinion that I share. He represents a true gentleman; his conduct is always courteous despite any provocation whether privately or publicly. This is enhanced by the very carefully selected word choice. Atticus is able to use language stylishly when appropriate but he can also communicate very simplistically such as when in a moment of crisis he can talk straightforwardly, for example to Jem and Scout, to enhance understanding. Atticus is a devoted family man; he manages to care for his children without the help of their mother, who died. Harper Lee gives Atticus a very modern style regarding parenting (in comparison to other families in the 1930s i.e. principally he was a single parent). This could perh...