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How does Atticus Finch show that he cares about his brother, Uncle Jack?

Atticus shows that he cares about his brother by paying for his education.


Atticus did a pretty amazing thing for his brother, if you consider that he paid for him to become a doctor. When Atticus first became a lawyer, he did not become wealthy right away. (In fact, he never really became wealthy.) Instead, he paid for his brother Jack to go to school to become a doctor.


During his first five years in...

Atticus shows that he cares about his brother by paying for his education.


Atticus did a pretty amazing thing for his brother, if you consider that he paid for him to become a doctor. When Atticus first became a lawyer, he did not become wealthy right away. (In fact, he never really became wealthy.) Instead, he paid for his brother Jack to go to school to become a doctor.



During his first five years in Maycomb, Atticus practiced economy more than anything; for several years thereafter he invested his earnings in his brother’s education. John Hale Finch was ten years younger than my father, and chose to study medicine … but after getting Uncle Jack started, Atticus derived a reasonable income from the law. (Ch. 1) 



Uncle Jack and Atticus remained reasonably close. At Christmas, Jack spanked Scout for cussing and fighting with her cousin, but Atticus did not get upset at him for disciplining his daughter without asking. He seemed to find the whole thing amusing.



“She was quite right. Atticus, she told me how I should have treated her—oh dear, I’m so sorry I romped on her.”


Atticus chuckled. “She earned it, so don’t feel too remorseful.” (Ch. 9)



The easy conversation that Atticus and Jack have shows that Jack respects his much older brother. He doesn’t have any children of his own, but he was trying to be an authority figure to Scout. It didn't work out exactly as he had planned, and Atticus told him that with children it is better to be straightforward, but he did not get offended by Jack's treatment of his daughter or talk down to him because he had no children of his own.

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