Atticus Finch Research Paper

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Do you do everything in your ability to do what is right? What about something you truly care about? As a population we will not always believe or think the same way, especially on topics like racism and injustice, so it is very important to have a hero to look up to. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch faces many delamas with racism, however he does not quite live up to the hero status. Literary critic Christopher Metress, author of the article “The Rise and Fall of Atticus Finch” proves that Atticus is a coward. Metress’s argument is correct, because Atticus does not do everything in his power to fight against racism. First of all, Atticus is not a good model of a lawyer and what they represent. The article “The Rise …show more content…
Atticus was not very inclined to take Tom Robinson's case. Also, this shows that his morals are not lined up with his actions. If Atticus was a real hero then he would’ve taken Tom’s case without the thought of anyone but Tom. Instead, he worries about how the case is going to affect him and not the man with his life on the line. While talking with his brother about Tom Robinson's court case, Atticus says “‘You know, I’d hoped to get through life without a case of this kind, but John Taylor pointed at me and said, ‘You're it’ (Lee 88). Atticus’s use of “I” in this context shows that he did not, in fact, care about Tom and only about himself. This proves that because Atticus knew he was going to lose the case, he only wanted to make himself look good. Also, this shows that he did not want to fight against the social norms of Maycomb and thought it was easier the way things were. Finally, this shows that Atticus only seems to care about how he looks in the eyes of other people, instead of doing the right thing and making
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