THE CHARACTER OF ATTICUS FINCH IN HARPER LEE’STO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Sufi Ikrima Sa’adahFakultas Adab IAIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya

Abstract: The interest on character analysisstarted its development in the seventeenthcentury. Through many modes of characterization,the authors present their characters to be verymuch life-like. Presented as Lee’s centralcharacter in her first and only novel, To Kill aMockingbird, Atticus Finch shows his qualitiesboth as father and as lawyer. And through thosemodes also, this paper attempts to present theanalysis on Atticus’ character. Then finally, itwill reveal what character Atticus Finch is like.Key words: character, characterization, traits.

IntroductionCharacters, say Bennett and Royle (2004:60), are

the life of literature: they are the objects of our

curiosity and fascination, affection and dislike,

admiration and condemnation. Indeed, so intense is our

relationship with literary characters that they often

cease to be simply ‘objects’. Through the power of

identification, through sympathy and antipathy, they

can become part of how we conceive ourselves, a part of

who we are.

The analysis on character itself is an extremely

popular theme subject, particularly in courses of drama

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and on the novel. However, the real interest in

particularized fictional character did not develop

until the seventeenth century. Later on, in the

eighteenth century, the novel emerged as an important

literary form. Interest in patterns of human behavior,

consequently, has come to age due to the advent of

modern psychology (Roberts, 1969: 53).

However, reading for character is more difficult

than reading for plot1. Perrine (1974: 67) explains

that it is because character is much more complex,

variable, and ambiguous. Furthermore, he adds, anyone

can repeat what a person had done in a story, but

considerable skill may be needed to describe what a

person is.

This paper attempts to analyze the character of

Atticus Finch, one of the major characters in Harper

Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. The analysis will be dealing

with any modes of characterization the author uses in

her novel, including the character’s naming, the

description of the character’s physical appearance also

the way Lee presents her character in the novel.

Furthermore, this paper attempts to give a little

contribution in literary study and to anyone who wants

1 Perrine defines plot as the sequence of incidents or events ofwhich a story is composed. Because it concentrates ordinarily onmajor happenings, plot becomes the easiest element in fiction tocomprehend and put into words. Therefore, the beginning readertends to equate it with the content of the work (1974: 43).

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to take the character aspect as the subject of their

study.

Character and CharacterizationAlthough sometimes we used the word character

synonymously with “person”, “human being”, and

“literary figure”, more often we use it in reference to

an individual’s personal qualities and characteristics

(Roberts, 1969: 53). Moreover, Bennett and Royle (2004:

63) explain that “character” means both a letter or

sign, a mark of writing, and the ‘essential’ qualities

of a ‘person’. Taken from the Greek Kharattein, means to

engrave, they continue that the word becomes a mark or

sign, a person’s title and hence a distinguishing mark

– that which distinguishes one person to another – and

from this a ‘fictional’ person or a person on stage.

In presenting his character, an author may uses many

modes of characterization. Wellek and Warren (1942:

226) suggest that the simplest form of characterization

is naming. Each name given is for vivifying, animating

and individuating the author’s character.

Chinua Achebe, in his first and most impressive

novel, Things Fall Apart, names his character Okwonko. Chua

(1996: 19) explains that the name is an African name

and it implies male pride and stubbornness. Thus, by

giving his character such a name, Achebe attempts to

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reveal his character’s fame and mental wakness, in this

case, to individuate his character.

Moreover, Wellek and Warren (1942: 227) states that

describing the character’s physical appearance may also

be the way an author characterize his character. It is

because whenever a character appears, there occur some

mannerism, gestures or sayings. Those things serve as

emblematic accompaniment of a character is like.

When Rainsford met a man in front of the building he

saw when he fell on from his yacht and was lost in a

dense jungle on a rocky shore, he saw the man as “a

gigantic creature, solidly made and black-bearded to the waist.” As the

act of welcoming, the man “held a long-barreled revolver, and he

was pointing it straight at Rainsford’s heart.” And when the man

gave no response towards Rainsford’s introductory

words, there comes a paragraph explains that:

“ the menacing look in the eyes did not change.The revolver pointed as rigidly as if the giantwere a statue. He gave no sign that he understoodRainsford’s words, or that he had even heardthem. He was dressed in uniform, a black uniformtrimmed with gray astrakhan.”2

2 The paragraph was taken from Richard Connell’s short story “TheMost Dangerous Game”. The story tells about a hunter named Rainsfordwho fell ashore in an island and was lost in a dense jungle of theisland. He then met General Zaroff, also a hunter, who lived in abuilding in the middle of the jungle. The general, unfortunately,liked to hunt human instead of animal. Then both men involved inthe most dangerous game ever. To hunt or to be hunted (Perrine,1974: 8-24).

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Connell uses the paragraph, as well as what

Rainsford thinks about the man, to inform the reader

that the man in the story is quite ogrish and scary.

And he is not a friendly person. Thus, the reader can

understand what the man is like by his physical

appearance and his manner.

Another mode of characterization is what Perrine

calls direct and indirect presentation (1974: 48). In

direct presentation, an author presents his character

in a straight way. He directly tells us, through

exposition or analysis, what a character is like.

Otherwise, he has someone else in the story tells us

what he is like.

Still in the same short story, Rainsford’s

impression when he met General Zaroff was expressed in

a single paragraph:“Rainsford’s first impression was that the manwas singularly handsome; his second was thatthere was an original, almost bizarre qualityabout the general’s face. He was a tall man pastmiddle age, for his hair was a vivid white; buthis thick eyebrows and pointed military mustachewere as black as the night from which Rainsfordhad come. His eyes, too, were black and verybright. He had high cheek bones, a sharp-cutnose, a spare, dark face, a face of a man used togiving orders, the face of aristocrat…(Connell inPerrine, 1974: 12).

The above paragraph is Connell’s presentation of the

General’s character. And in this case, he has Rainsford

to tell the reader what the General is like.

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In indirect presentation, however, the author shows

his character in action. The reader may know what a

character is like by making inference from what the

character thinks, says or does.

About The NovelAs Lee’s first and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird has

remained enormously popular since its publication in

1960. the novel was published during the Civil Rights

Movement3 and was hailed as an expose of Southern

racist society. Within a year, the novel sold half a

million copies and received the Pulitzer Price for

fiction.

To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the small, rural town of

Maycomb, Alabama during the early 1930s. The character

of Atticus Finch was based on Lee’s own father, a

liberal Alabama lawyer and statesman who frequently

defended African-Americans within the racially

3 Josh Sides (2003:131) explains that America’s modern civilrights movement was born during World War II, although mostAmericans did not recognize its presence until the late 1950s. TheMontgomery bus boycott in 1955, the desegregation battle in LittleRock in 1957, and the sit-in campaigns, Freedom Rides, and ralliesof the early 1960s grabbed the nation’s attention, leaving littledoubt that an aggressive movement for black equality was afoot inthe United States. But for urban blacks, especially in the westernUnited States, the dramatic events of the 1960s were theculmination of at least two decades of struggle for equality.Leading that struggle were the thousands of African Americanmigrants who had defiantly left the South, determined to finallyand fully share in the country’s new prosperity. The act ofmigration itself was the cornerstone of the new movement, bringingblack people intent on equality to cities where that equality wasconceivable.

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prejudiced Southern legal system. Many of the events

that Lee experienced as a child were incorporated into

the story that she wrote more than thirty years later.

Charles E. Wishon, Jr. states that this novel is a

bildungsroman. It is a kind of novel that charts the

development of a young character from innocence to

experience. The novel centers on (from the perspective

of his daughter, Jean Louise "Scout" Finch) Atticus'

struggle to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, convicted

of the rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell.

Despite the fact that there is strong evidence

suggesting that Tom is innocent, most of the town takes

the side against Atticus simply because his defendant

is a black man and the victim is a white woman. Hence,

Atticus, his children and his family continually face

slander, insults, and sometimes even threats of

physical violence from fellow town citizens,

schoolmates of Jem and Scout, and even other members of

the Finch family. Despite all this, Atticus refuses to

abandon the case, and continues to urge Jem and Scout

to remain unresponsive to the town's criticism, fearful

that they may learn the wrong ethical lessons. Atticus

shrugs off all prejudices and insults, forgiving the

townspeople for their failings, and continues to work

for Tom's acquittal, taking the release of the innocent

man as a personal crusade, all the while seeking to set

a strong moral example for his own children in the hope

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that they will not emulate his biased society and

become prejudiced against others on account of race as

well.

The Character of Atticus FinchAtticus’ Naming

Atticus’ family name is Finch. Taken literally,

‘finch’ is the name of a bird. This kind of bird is

usually valued as destroyer of weed seeds, while a few

might also eat harmful insects. This fact depicts

Atticus’ effort to protect the town people by ‘eating

the bad insects’, i.e. Bob Ewell and other racist

people.

The finch bird is also considered as the most highly

developed bird. Here shows Atticus’ capability of

moving forward into the future, being an all round good

man and smart also.

Meanwhile, the name ‘Atticus’ itself might derive

from Titus Pomponius Atticus, a Roman scholar, who was

well-known for his excellent knowledge in literature

and philosophy. The fact might simply to foreshadow

Atticus’ traits: penetrating intelligent, calm wisdom

and exemplary behaviour.

Atticus is somehow intelligent. If not, he would not

attend law school, become a lawyer and join the state

legislature. But then he decides to run his own law

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practice. And with his lawyerly earnings, Atticus is

able to put his younger brother through medical school.

How wise Atticus is can be reflected by the fact

that he disapproves of guns. He believes that guns do

not make men brave and that the children’s fascination

with guns is unfounded. This fact, however, makes his

children feel a little embarrassed with him.

In every act, Atticus reflects that he is a

gentleman. He just wipes his face off and walks away

when Bob pits in his face. And when Jem asks why he

does not do something about it, Atticus just says:

"So if spitting in my face and threatening mesaved Mayella one extra beating, that's somethingI'll gladly take. He had to take it out onsomebody and I'd rather it be me than thathouseful of children out there."(Pg. 221)

Atticus practices the ethic of sympathy and

understanding that he preaches to Scout and Jem and

never holds a grudge against the people of Maycomb. He

recognizes that people have both good and bad

qualities, and he is determined to admire the good

while understanding and forgiving the bad. Atticus

passes this great moral lesson on to Scout—this

perspective protects the innocent from being destroyed

by contact with evil.

Because of these traits, Atticus is respected by

everyone, including the very poor, both black and white

people. this respect grows even larger among the black,

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when he agrees to defend Tom with all his heart and

soul. Even when Tom is convicted guilty, the black

still give their best respect by standing up when

Atticus passes:

“Miss Jean Louise?”I looked around. They were standing. All aroundus and in the balcony on the opposite wall, theNegroes were getting to their feet. ReverendSykes’s voice was as distant as Judge Taylor’s:“Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’spassin‘.”(ch.21: 215).

And in the next morning after the trial, they evensend Atticus a lot of food as their appreciation inwhat Atticus did:

Calpurnia said, “Tom Robinson’s daddy sent youalong this chicken this morning. I fixed it.”…………Atticus looked up at her, puzzled, and she said,“You better step out here and see what’s in thekitchen, Mr. Finch.”We followed him. The kitchen table was loadedwith enough food to bury the family: hunks ofsalt pork, tomatoes, beans, even scuppernongs.Atticus grinned when he found a jar of pickledpigs’ knuckles. …………Calpurnia said, “This was all ‘round the backsteps when I got here this morning. They—they’preciate what you did, Mr. Finch. They—theyaren’t oversteppin‘ themselves, are they?”(ch.22:217).

Atticus’ Physical Appearance

To Kill A Mockingbird consists of 31 chapters but the

description of Atticus’ physical appearance has just

come in the first one-third part of the novel. In

chapter 10, Jean Louise (Scout) describes his father as

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“feeble” and “nearly fifty”. He is “so old” and “ much older that

the parents of [her] school contemporaries.” (p. 92). Atticus

also wears glasses. He is described as “nearly blind in his

left eye” and “whenever he wanted to see something well, he turned his

head and looked from his right eye.” (p. 92). Atticus’ has

“graying black hair” due to his age and “square-cut features”.

(ch.15: 154).

Atticus as Father

The bountiful love between a parent and a child is

mysteriously unique and special. Parents show their

children they love them day by day, endlessly, in a

myriad of ways. Atticus raises his children with the

same type of love, if not more, but in a not so typical

way. Atticus shows his love to Jem and Scout by

providing them with an education and allowing them to

develop their own personalities by giving them more

freedom than the average child.

Atticus demonstrates his love for Jem and Scout by

providing them with an education. For example, although

Scout hates going to school and pretends being ill,

Atticus continually urges her on through the boring

school years. Atticus loves Scout enough to see that

obtaining an education is extremely important. However,

rather than forcing Scout domineeringly, he gives her

the choice of whether or not to accede, but ultimately

Scout knows she must yield to his opinion out of

deference. In addition, Atticus teaches Scout how to

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read at an early age and continues to help her practice

by reading the newspaper with her every evening.

Evidently, Atticus must love Scout because he reads

with her each and every single evening. This costs time

and as a busy lawyer, time is very precious to Atticus,

as Scout explains to her teacher:

“Teach me?” I said in surprise. “He hasn’t taughtme anything, Miss Caroline. Atticus ain’t gottime to teach me anything,” I added, when MissCaroline smiled and shook her head. “Why, he’s sotired at night he just sits in the livingroom andreads.” (ch.2:17).

Reflecting on what Atticus has done for his children in

the novel, it shows that he cares very much about his

children’s futures, and this in turn shows that he

loves his children.

By providing his children with a relatively

excessive amount of freedom, Atticus demonstrates that

he loves Jem and Scout. For example, Atticus does not

limit whom Jem and Scout get along with. Atticus allows

his children to judge all people equally and chose

their friends for themselves. This is a very special

privilege considering that the Finch’s live in southern

Alabama, where most people were still highly prejudiced

towards African Americans. Looking at the prestigious

Finch family background, we can also see the importance

of this privilege. In addition, Atticus allows Scout to

cloth herself as she prefers. In the early 1930s, this

could have been considered taboo. Girls were expected

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to dress and act like ‘ladies’. Giving his children the

ability to live their lives with their own volition,

Atticus shows compassion for his children by making

them responsible.

However, in some extent, Atticus also shows his

compassion towards his children physically. He

sometimes “massaged Jem’s hair” as Scout sees as “his one

gesture of affection” (ch.15: 157). He always calls Jem “son”

and calls, though not always, Scout “baby” or

“hon[ey]”, especially when there is something that

might make her worried happens (ch.8: 70).

Neither of the Finch kids ever call their father

“Dad”; he is always Atticus. While he definitely puts

his foot down when necessary, he also treats his kids

with respect.

For one thing, he does not dumb down his language to

what he thinks is their level, but he also is willing

to explain patiently whenever they have questions. It

can be inferred from his sayings:

"I'm afraid our activities would be received withconsiderable disapprobation by the more learnedauthorities." Jem and I were accustomed to our father's last-will-and-testament diction, and we were at alltimes free to interrupt Atticus for a translationwhen it was beyond our understanding. "Huh, sir?" "I never went to school," he said, "but I have afeeling that if you tell Miss Caroline we read

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every night she'll get after me, and I wouldn'twant her after me." (ch.3: 32)

When Scout does not want to go back to school,

Atticus does not just tell her that she has to go and

that’s that; instead, he listens to Scout’s explanation

of why she is upset, and tries to make her see her

teacher’s side of things before coming up with a

compromise that makes Scout happier.

The passage above also suggests that Atticus’s

courtroom language creeps into the way that he talks to

his kids, and so does his judicial concern with

fairness. As Scout tells Uncle Jack, “When Jem an' I fuss

Atticus doesn't ever just listen to Jem's side of it, he hears mine too”

(ch.9: 88). Scout also tells Miss Maudie, "Atticus don't

ever do anything to Jem and me in the house that he don't do in the yard”

(ch.5: 46). Atticus runs his family like a judge: he is

the one in charge, and has a clear set of rules that he

expects his kids to follow, but he makes sure that both

sides have their say.

Atticus does not expect his kids to respect him just

because he is their father, but because he acts in a

way that deserves respect. His honesty with his

children means that they trust him, and look to him for

guidance. When Miss Maudie’s house is on fire and the

smoke is “rolling off [their] house”, Jem told Scout not to

worry since their father has not worried yet:

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"Don't worry, Scout, it ain't time to worry yet,"said Jem. He pointed. "Looka yonder." In a group of neighbors, Atticus was standingwith his hands in his overcoat pockets. He mighthave been watching a football game. Miss Maudiewas beside him. "See there, he's not worried yet," said Jem.(ch.8: 72)

Atticus is the opposite of a hypocrite: he says what

he means, and lives how he thinks. In raising his

children, he tries to get them to understand not only

how they should behave, but why they should behave that

way. This parenting attitude works most of the time,

but causes problems when the kids apply Atticus’s

principles in ways he doesn’t expect.

We were accustomed to prompt, if not alwayscheerful acquiescence to Atticus's instructions,but from the way he stood Jem was not thinking ofbudging."Go home, I said."Jem shook his head. As Atticus's fists went tohis hips, so did Jem's, and as they faced eachother I could see little resemblance betweenthem: Jem's soft brown hair and eyes, his ovalface and snug-fitting ears were our mother's,contrasting oddly with Atticus's graying blackhair and square-cut features, but they weresomehow alike. Mutual defiance made them alike.(ch.15: 154)

Just as Atticus is standing by Tom to protect him,

Jem wants to do the same for Atticus. While Atticus is

not scared of the mob for his own sake, he is afraid

that they will hurt his kids. In the end, however, it’s

Scout’s following her father’s advice (talking to

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people about what they care about) that gets them out

of their fix. While Atticus tries through his parenting

to save his kids from Maycomb’s intolerance, he’s also

giving them the same ideas that lead to him facing off

with a mob and receiving death threats. This conduct

leads to questions whether he is protecting his kids,

or putting them in danger.

Perhaps the answer to both these questions is yes,

because it seems that Atticus believes that shielding

his kids in the short term does not do them any favors

in the long run. This becomes especially clear when he

thinks Jem is the one who stabbed Bob Ewell.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, but Idon't want my boy starting out with somethinglike this over his head. Best way to clear theair is to have it all out in the open. Let thecounty come and bring sandwiches. I don't wanthim growing up with a whisper about him, I don'twant anybody saying, 'Jem Finch... his daddy paida mint to get him out of that.' Sooner we getthis over with the better." (ch.30: 277)

Atticus would rather his son underwent the momentary

discomfort and risk of being open about his “crime”

than a lifetime of second-guessing. This is, after all,

the way he himself lives, doing right by Tom Robinson

rather than suffer for the rest of his days the shame

of having supported injustice. However, it does not

mean that he has the right to impose the same

principles on his son. Even if it is so, if he thinks

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it is in his son’s best interest, Atticus still should

let Jem have a say.

While Atticus holds his children to the same high

standards as he holds himself, he also is there for

them when they need him. The last sentence of the novel

reinforces this aspect of his character: “He turned out the

light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would

be there when Jem waked up in the morning” (ch.31:285). Even

when Jem is unconscious and has no way of knowing what

is going on, Atticus is there for him – because it is

the right thing to do, even if no one is watching. That

would fit with what we know about Atticus, but perhaps

there is a simpler reason: love.

Atticus as Lawyer

Atticus’s career as a lawyer affects his home life

not just in his talking to his kids in legal jargon.

His determination to defend Tom Robinson causes Jem and

Scout to get a lot of grief from others in the town.

Atticus tries to explain to Scout why he is doing what

in this case.

"If you shouldn't be defendin' him, then why areyou doin' it?" "For a number of reasons," said Atticus. "Themain one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up myhead in town, I couldn't represent this county inthe legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jemnot to do something again. […] Scout, simply bythe nature of the work, every lawyer gets atleast one case in his lifetime that affects him

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personally. This one's mine, I guess.” (ch.9:78).

For Atticus, being a lawyer is not just a job, it is

a personal commitment to justice, and to solving

problems through the law rather than through violence.

There is another reason for his taking on the Tom

Robinson case, however, and that is that he had no

choice: Judge Taylor assigned him to the case.

"Lemme tell you somethin' now, Billy," a thirdsaid, "you know the court appointed him to defendthis nigger." "Yeah, but Atticus aims to defendhim. That's what I don't like about it." This was news, news that put a different light onthings: Atticus had to, whether he wanted to ornot. I thought it odd that he hadn't saidanything to us about it – we could have used itmany times in defending him and ourselves. He hadto, that's why he was doing it, equaled fewerfights and less fussing. But did that explain thetown's attitude? The court appointed Atticus todefend him. Atticus aimed to defend him. That'swhat they didn't like about it. It was confusing.(ch.16: 165)

Atticus, indeed, has his own reason why he does not

tell Scout this although it could have given her a good

excuse to get out of fights. The reason is, perhaps,

because it is not really an excuse, as the quoted

conversation suggests – it is not just that he is

defending Tom, but that he is planning on doing it to

the best of his ability, that is bothering people who

think that fair trials are only for white people. Or

perhaps Atticus does not mention it because he does not

want Scout to defend him through the cop-out of “he’s

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only doing it because he has to”; that may be technically true,

but there is also an element of choice in how he goes

about doing it.

And Atticus chooses not only to really defend Tom,

rather than pretend to defend him, but also to treat

even the horrible Ewells with respect in court. Dill

notices that Mr. Gilmer does not return the compliment

for Tom:

"Well, Mr. Finch didn't act that way to Mayellaand old man Ewell when he cross-examined them.The way that man called him 'boy' all the timean' sneered at him, an' looked around at the juryevery time he answered-" (ch.19: 203)

The difference Dill notice in the way both men act

towards Tom explains that Mr. Gilmer is willing to use

any tools at his disposal to win his case, including

taking advantage of the jury’s racism. Atticus, on the

other hand, appeals to the jury’s sense of justice and

equality. If the roles were reversed, if Atticus had

been assigned the prosecution instead of the defense,

would he have acted any differently? Would he have even

taken the case? What part of Atticus’s character does

Mr. Gilmer lack, to make him able to act so differently

from his legal opponent?

While Atticus’s defense of Tom is consistent with

what we have seen of his character up to that point, he

does do something in the process that shocks even Jem

and Scout:

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Atticus did something I never saw him do beforeor since, in public or in private: he unbuttonedhis vest, unbuttoned his collar, loosened histie, and took off his coat. He never loosened ascrap of his clothing until he undressed atbedtime, and to Jem and me, this was theequivalent of him standing before us stark naked.We exchanged horrified glances. Atticus put his hands in his pockets, and as hereturned to the jury, I saw his gold collarbutton and the tips of his pen and pencil winkingin the light. "Gentlemen," he said. Jem and I again looked ateach other: Atticus might have said, "Scout." Hisvoice had lost its aridity, its detachment, andhe was talking to the jury as if they were folkson the post office corner. (ch.20: 206)

This sudden informality might explain that perhaps

this is Atticus’s version of a presidential candidate

donning a flannel shirt to connect with the common man.

Or perhaps he is trying to suggest that he is speaking

honestly, not as a lawyer trying to get his client off,

but as one man to another. Or perhaps it is just

really, really hot in the courtroom. The end of his

closing remarks, however, suggests that it has

something to do with awakening the jury’s humanity:

"I'm no idealist to believe firmly in theintegrity of our courts and in the jury system –that is no ideal to me, it is a living, workingreality. Gentlemen, a court is no better thaneach man of you sitting before me on this jury. Acourt is only as sound as its jury, and a jury isonly as sound as the men who make it up. I amconfident that you gentlemen will review withoutpassion the evidence you have heard, come to adecision, and restore this defendant to his

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family. In the name of God, do your duty."(ch.20: 209)

For Atticus, Tom’s trial means more than the fate of

a single man, though all signs do point to his caring

about Tom as an individual. It even means more than a

referendum on racism in Maycomb. From a broader

perspective, the case is about the fairness of the

American legal system, which means it is about the

fairness of American people. In his closing remarks,

Atticus argues for big principles like equality and

duty, but he does not for a moment lose sight of the

fact that in the end it is human beings and their

choices that make equality stand or fall – in this

case, fall.

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