kind and understanding- strict but fair ,
everything a father should be.
scout and jem's hero
he is their teacher, their protector
"If you'll concede the necessity of
going to school, we'll go on reading
every night"
Education is important to Atticus, he believes
that education is the key to unlocking the
ignorance that causes prejudice, this is
noticeable during the Tom Robinson case
where Atticus says,. Consequently, he teaches
his children from an early age, although he does
not employ the conventional methods used to
tutor children. Scout was taught to read by
following whatever Atticus was reading in the
evenings; again, Atticus did not treat her as
inferior but allowed her to read from
newspapers etc like an adult.
'confident that you gentlemen would go along
with them on the evil assumption that all
Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically
immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to
be trusted around our women, an assumption
one associates with minds of their calibre'
(p211)
provides love and care
"Babe" "he played with us, read to us"
"i crawled into his lap every night"
Raises her against bullies
teaches crucial life lessons
"you never really understand person until you consider
things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin
and walkn around in it
acts as their friend
The simple act of calling him "Atticus" and not
"father" brings Scout and Jem to the same level
as Atticus. They are people, not children. "Jem
protested, then pleaded, and Atticus said, `All
right, you can come with us if you stay in the
car'"(239). By allowing Jem and Dill to
accompany him to tell about Tom's death,
Atticus shows his respect for Jem and Dill, and
his faith in their maturity.
teaches kids by example
Atticus is always guiding Jem and Scout with
advice so that they will become more
compassionate people. Atticus sets a good
example for the children when Mr Ewell confronts
him. Even though he is provoked and insulted,
Atticus simply has a “peaceful reaction”. This
shows the children never to get into fights with
people when they are upset about something
atticus is the same in the street as he is in the house