There are many examples of Atticus showing the qualities of a good father throughout To Kill a Mockingbird.
Scout and Jem obviously both respect their father very much. This is likely because Atticus respects them just as equally. He treats them like adults, and answers all of their questions as though they were. He also doesn’t talk down to them. He taught his kids to be respectful towards him at a young age, they learned how to respect other people, as well. They both speak to other adults, like Calpurnia, Reverend Sykes, and Mr Cunningham, respectfully. It may have been Atticus’s intention to raise them in such a way that they would act this way.
At one point in the novel, he says to Scout, "[…] you'll get …show more content…
Any other lawyer in Maycomb probably wouldn’t have tried, either because they knew they wouldn’t win, or because they didn’t want to win, since they were defending a black man. Atticus was probably assigned to Tom’s case because he’s the best person to do it. He’s respectful to everyone, and is probably one of the only attorneys in Maycomb who isn’t racially prejudiced.
During the trial, Atticus shows how smart he is by showing that Tom Robinson did not beat and rape Mayella Ewell, and rather, Bob Ewell beat her for getting friendly with a black man. He shows the jury that it couldn’t have been Tom, since his left hand is severely crippled. Since Mayella was beaten on the right side of the face, it is evident that she was hit by someone left handed.
Atticus defends Tom both inside and outside the courtroom. He sits outside of Tom’s jail cell to stop the other Maycomb citizens from abusing him. Anyone else probably would’ve just left him there to take the abuse, but Atticus is not that kind of person. He would much rather he took the abuse than Tom did, which is what makes him such a good