Skip to main content

What are three reasons why Atticus takes the Robinson case in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

There is no question that Atticus Finch has been asked to take the Tom Robinson case because of his integrity. For, Judge Taylor knows that he is, indeed, as Miss Maudie has said, "...the same inside his house as he is on the public streets."


Here are three reasons for his taking the case which involve his integrity:



  1. Atticus is assigned this case by Judge Taylor. Atticus tells his younger brother Jack in Chapter...

There is no question that Atticus Finch has been asked to take the Tom Robinson case because of his integrity. For, Judge Taylor knows that he is, indeed, as Miss Maudie has said, "...the same inside his house as he is on the public streets."


Here are three reasons for his taking the case which involve his integrity:



  1. Atticus is assigned this case by Judge Taylor.
    Atticus tells his younger brother Jack in Chapter 9 that he had hoped to get through life without having a controversial case involving racial issues. However, "John Taylor pointed at me and said, 'You're It'."


  2. If Atticus were to refuse this case, he would feel like a hypocrite before his children.
    In his conversation with Jack, Atticus also mentions that he could not refuse the Robinson case and face his children honestly again. For, all their lives, Atticus has taught Jem and Scout to treat people fairly, and, as he says in Chapter 3, to "climb into [another person's] skin and walk around in it. Atticus feels that Tom Robinson is owed the respect of being treated fairly, and Atticus realizes he is the best man to afford the man a fight for a fair trial.


  3. Atticus feels that the Robinson case goes to the principles of a man's conscience.
    Atticus feels that he must take this case because it involves the moral principles by which he has lived. He tells Scout,


This case, Tom Robinson's case, is something that goes to the essence of a man's conscience--Scout, I couldn't go to church and worship God if I didn't try to help that man. (Ch. 11)



Clearly, Atticus feels that he must "practice what he preaches," as the old saying goes, or he will lose all respect given him.



...if I didn't [take the case] I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again…



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more