Atticus Finch Prejudice

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The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee illustrates the harmfulness of prejudice, whether it is race, gender, or class, on a society. The actions of Atticus Finch help both Jem and Scout mature into young adults that see the wrongdoings of the world. Atticus Finch’s righteous ideas and actions contrast what the rest of Maycomb believes, highlighting the wrongful prejudices most of the town believes to be a part of normal life. Atticus shows Jem and Scout very early on that Maycomb’s belief that racism is acceptable and normal is wrong by taking the case of Tom Robinson. When Scout asks why Atticus is defending tom if no one in the town wants to see him acquitted, Atticus replies “I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent…show more content…
When Atticus tells Jem, Dill, and Scout to “stop tormenting that man.” (49). He shows the children that it is not tolerable to bully or make fun of someone just because they are disliked within their community. There is only prejudice against Boo because he has not been seen in a long time. None of the accusations against him are founded, which is one of the reasons why Atticus will not stand for the mistreatment of Boo. During the fire Boo covers Scout with a blanket. Unlike how most of the town reacts in situations with Boo, Atticus smiles and tells the children that “Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.” (72) Atticus shows that he is not afraid of Boo and he knows that Boo is harmless, unlike many other people in Maycomb. This teaches Jem and Scout to make their own decisions about people instead of feeding into the unfair misjudgments of people different than the average members of society. At the end of the novel when Boo is at the Finch’s house, Atticus simply introduces him to Scout by saying “Jean Louise, this Mr. Arthur Radley. I believe he already knows you.” (271). This bland introduction shows that Atticus knows that Boo is uncomfortable with attention. Atticus feels like Boo should be treated like a regular person, so he does not call unnecessary attention to Boo. Up until the very end of the book, Atticus feels like Boo should be treated
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