In the 1930’s racism was in full swing. Although Civil Rights Acts had been passed to finally end salary, many people were still dealing with prejudice and prosecution. Harper Lee released her novel To Kill a Mockingbird which subtly starred Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is a white lawyer living in the South during the 1930’s. Atticus appears in this novel as a defendant of a black man accused of the rape of a white woman. Throughout the novel his attitude is a shining light in story full of darkness, he is the one sliver of hope for Tom Robinson and ultimately the whole town. Atticus Finch was pivotal character in this novel as he was able to change the current beliefs regarding race, fought for a blind American Dream and was able to open the …show more content…
He dealt with the majority of his home town hating him and never backed down from helping someone in need, regardless of race. Due to Atticus’ platform in court, he was one of the more verbal characters, leaving no room to question his beliefs. Even though, he spoke his truth in court people always had something to say about him. His children, hearing these murmurs asked Atticus about these comments, “"Scout," said Atticus, "nig***-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody. "You aren't really a nig***-lover, then, are you?" I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes—baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you” (Lee 144). His character had a profound effect because it showed that all white people were not demons, he was an effective portrayal of what racism looked like in the time and yet at the same time altered the beliefs of the time and set a new precedent. Atticus was exactly what our American society …show more content…
In Lee’s novel the father, Atticus, is happy in his economic success, though they are honestly relatively poor (Nadi). Knowing that Atticus was not in the higher class of society makes him relatable. Readers are easily able to connect to him thus, resulting in a more effective character. Atticus enacts a simple purpose to the novel, a blind American Dream. He fights for the rights of an African American accused of raping a white woman even though the small town despises his involvement. Throughout the novel he fights for Tom Robinson without any hesitation, “He fights for justice and equality in the world and one could well argue that this is his American Dream” (Nadi). He was put in a situation where he could have ruined his reputation and he choose to fight for Robinson