Although Atticus Finch Describes Mrs Dubose as, “the Bravest Person I Ever Knew”, It Is Atticus Himself Who Is the Real Hero in the Novel. Examine the Character of Atticus Finch and Comment on Whether He Is the True Hero or Not.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Essay

Although Atticus Finch describes Mrs Dubose as, “The bravest person I ever knew”, it is Atticus himself who is the real hero in the novel. Examine the character of Atticus Finch and comment on whether he is the true hero or not.

Atticus Finch was the true hero in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird because he was willing to do things others wouldn’t even think of, such as, defending a black man in court; shot a mad dog when he had not fired a gun in thirty years; and raised his two children, Jem and Scout, with the help of his housekeeper, Calpurnia. Atticus was a man of principle who believed in justice, fairness for all, he was progressive. His bravery was to stand for what he believed in and gave equality for blacks when there was injustice against them in this case innocent, Tom Robinson.

Firstly, Atticus Finch, who was a lawyer, had defended a black man named, Tom Robinson in court. A majority of people in the town of Maycomb would not think twice about defending a black person, due to the colour of their skin, but Atticus decided he would do it, because if he didn’t take the case, he had told his daughter, Scout, that, “he could not hold up his head in town and couldn’t represent Maycomb County in legislation, nor would he be able to tell Jem and Scout what to do.” Atticus knew the chances of winning the first trial as it was a black man’s word against two white people, and also because white people tended to believe that they were more important than blacks and they always told lies, although in this case the blacks were more honest than the whites. In the end Tom Robinson may have been shot, Atticus had done the right thing by defending him, even though the rest of the town had accused him of being guilty and disapproved of the fact that Atticus defended him.

Secondly, Atticus had not fired a gun in thirty years when he had to shoot the mad dog. Hec Tate was supposed to fire the gun but he had told Atticus that he wasn’t a...