To kill a mocking bird - Atticus says !

I have had one post on "To Kill A Mockingbird" earlier too.

Among the various things that catch your interest in this novel, one thing that you cannot help but notice is the depth of character of Atticus, a middle aged Lawyer and father of the two children( 6 year old Scout and 10 year old Jem ) , who are the main protagonist in this novel. His understanding of life, the way he connects to his children and the values with which he brings them up really make you notice him.

The plot in the novel takes place during three years of the Great Depression in the fictional "tired old town" of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus in this novel defends a black man much against the ways of the society in America in those days ( The novel is set in the 1930s ). He knows that he is not going to win this case, but he follows his conscience.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" is also been made into a movie with numerous awards to its credit. The character of Atticus has been played by Gregory Peck and must say - he has done full justice to the character.

Check out the few dailogues Atticus speaks out in this novel. Much of the dailogues listed below are about what Atticus believes in , while he is defending the black man or about how he wants to bring up his children as strong, responsible, mature human beings.

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I heard from a few people that the people and the relations mentioned in the dailogues below are getting confusing . So here is a summary -

Atticus - main character
Scout - 6 year old daughter of Atticus
Jem - 10 year old son of Atticus
Jack - Brother of Atticus
Bob Ewell - The white man whom Atticus proves guilty


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Scout : "If you shouldn't be defendin' him, then why are you ... doin' it?"



"For a number of reasons," said Atticus. "The main one is, if I didn't 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." […]



Scout : "Atticus, are we going to win it?"



"No, honey."


Scout : "Then why-"


"Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win," Atticus said.


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Jack ( Atticus's brother ) is having this conversation with Atticus - while Scout is listening on behind the door. Atticus is aware of this - and wants Scout to listen to every word he says.

Jack : But she doesn't know the meaning of half she says- she asked me what a whore-lady was..."

Atticus : "Did you tell her?"

Jack : "No, I told her about Lord Melbourne."

Atticus : "Jack! When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness'
sake. But don't make a production of it. Children are children, but
they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply
muddles 'em. No, you had the right answer this
afternoon, but the wrong reasons. Bad language is a stage all children
go through, and it dies with time when they learn they're not
attracting attention with it.

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Atticus to his son Jem - "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. "

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Atticus to his six year old daughter Scout explaining why he needs to defend the black man - “Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

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Atticus to Scout , advising her , not to get reactivated when people make fun of her or her father about defending the black man - “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anyone says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change…it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning.”

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Atticus to Scout “It’s not okay to hate anybody."

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Atticus to Jem"As you grow older you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it— whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, of how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”
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"Best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open."

Atticus will not try to spare his own family from the consequences of their actions. When he thinks (wrongly) that Jem has killed Bob Ewell( white man who Atticus proves guilty ), he insists that the “best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open”.
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Atticus to Jem “Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that household full of children out there.”

Bob Ewell is a white man , who Atticus proves guilty in the court of law. In a fit of anger, this man spits on Atticus's face and Atticus does not react to it. He later explains to his son Jem, about why he let Bob spit on his face.
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