How Is Atticus Displayed as a Role Model in the Novel to Kill a Mockingbird

Throughout the novel to kill a mocking bird Harper Lee portrays Atticus as a role model, not only to himself and his children but to the rest of Maycomb society too. Lee doesn’t present him as a racist or judgemental character, instead as courteous to members of society even if they do not share the same morals and opinions as him.

        Lees first displays  Atticus’ role model characteristics when scout has had a tough first day at school and she seeks out Atticus for advice and comfort, this reveals to the reader that Atticus is the most trusted person she has in her life and is willing to listen to him. This is further proved when lee writes ‘”You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-“ [“Sir?”] “-until you climb around in his skin and walk around in it.” Atticus gives advice to scout in her hour of need and as the narrator she repeats this a few times throughout the novel showing  the reader that Atticus has a very impressionable influence on his children The way Lee has broken the speech in two with scout breaking it off shows that she does not only believe the thing she writes through Atticus, she takes care and consideration over what is written too therefore the dash shows the thought process behind the text to allow a bigger impression on the reader and Scout.. She is willing to interrupt Atticus before but once he finishes what he has to say she is quiet and thinking for a moment before carrying on with what she was saying before, this shows that Atticus explains thing in such a way that she understands and can take it onboard. Also Atticus carries on talking over scout when she interrupts showing me that what he is going to say is important and she needs her to hear it no matter what she thinks. For me a role model is some one who has idealistic characteristics and someone who I can aspire to be like. Scout shows me that Atticus is a role model for her by calling him sir instead of father or dad because the use of sir shows she holds him in great respect and doesn’t just see him as a person who has to be in her life she sees him as a person she wants in her life.

         Another way Harper Lee displays Atticus in the novel is as a knowledgeable and courageous character and is not afraid to tell things as they are. This is demonstrated when Scout has been teased by a boy named Cecil Jacobs using the n word against her father as a negro defender, which at the time it was frowned upon to be because it was common to be racist among communities which is reflected in the fictional town of Maycomb . After telling scout off for using the ‘n’ word Lee writes ‘“ Scout, you aren’t old enough to understand some things yet, but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t be defending this man.”’ Atticus then goes on to inform scout that even though the people of Maycomb society don’t believe that Atticus should defend the accused Tom Robinson, Atticus believes that he would be doing everyone including himself and children an injustice. The reader will think that Atticus doesn’t just consider his actions from a short term perspective but he looks at it from a long term perspective and how his actions affect other people too.

 This shows me that Lee has created a character that is considerate and selfless, who is able to tell his children the truth as many other parents are so afraid to do as they think they will lose there childlike innocence. Atticus’ methods of parenting prove to work as Scout and Jem’s maturity increases during the novel.

        During the same conversation with Scout, Lee displays Atticus as a fighter for what he believes in because even though we are led to believe that in his time it was wrong to defend a black man Atticus has decided to defend Tom Robison anyway because he believes it is the right thing to do. This shows the reader that Atticus is a brave character and isn’t bothered what people are going to say or think about him, he is more concerned whether what he does is right and  is an example to the community or not. This is shown when Lee writes. ‘“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus said.’ This makes the reader believe that Atticus is a very sacrificial man who is willing to risk his family name –something that all your family to come would suffer from in 1930s America- in order to help a deserving black man. He doesn’t give in to Maycomb’s beliefs or social categories meaning that he is willingly discrepant and not afraid to be. The language Atticus uses with his children reflects his lawyer personality and reveals that he does not believe in babying his children, furthermore teaching his children the right terminology to use in future situations. Scout understands the language Atticus uses and even when she doesn’t she isn’t afraid to ask, linking back to my interpretation of Atticus defending Tom Robinson, which shows that he is open with her and always willing to tell the truth. In my opinion Lee uses the life lessons as a way to instil in the reader that there is more benefit of trying to win rather than giving up before you start; even if you know you are going to lose.

        The title of the novel, one of the most important life lessons that Atticus could give his children and the moral of the story that Harper Lee wants us remember is given when the children are comparing Atticus to other children’s fathers and looking back on the time when Atticus gave them air riffles and didn’t want to teach them to shoot. Lee demonstrates that Atticus is a role model by writing ‘“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”’ The reader will analyse this quote perhaps interpret different meanings of the quote such as seeing bluejays as ‘bad times’ and mocking birds as ‘good times’ meaning to shoot down the bad times and brush them off but don’t ever shoot down the opportunity to be happy,

we do not find out the true meaning of the novel title and quote until the very end which is very strategic for Harper Lee to do as by doing so she creates suspense as to what the underlying morals of the story are. My first interpretation of the quote was that the bluejays were black people and the mockingbirds were white as that could link to the story very well however because the word came from Atticus it would then portray as racist and we are taught that he isn’t linking back to the rest of the text where he is displayed as the perfect role model. Whereas at the end of the novel it is revealed that the quote means that it’s a sin to kill the innocence of the mockingbird’s e.g. Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley but you can send all the Bob Ewell’s to prison you want.