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How Is Atticus Portrayed In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In a small town like Maycomb, one may never ponder of what could go wrong. However, the area provides a lesson to many curious readers. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the themes of courage, community, and prejudice through the racial views of Maycomb County and Atticus in the setting of the Courthouse. The theme of courage is represented when Atticus goes against society in order to defend a Negro in court. Because of his stance on Tom Robinson, Atticus had many offensive titles thrown behind his back by people he doesn’t know, and even relatives. When Scout was talking to her cousin Francis at a holiday get-together, Francis informed Scout that her father is “nothin’ but a nigger-lover” for taking on the case of Tom Robinson (Lee 94). Because the entire community of Maycomb turned on Atticus simply because of racial views, he demonstrated the theme of courage as he ignored these remarks. Later in the novel, Atticus expressed trust in …show more content…

Before the court case, people demanded that Tom Robinson needed to be killed before any proof of him being guilty was presented. At the entrance of the town jail, a mob came to Atticus demanding him to “get [Tom Robinson] outa [the jail]” so that he could be slaughtered (173). Such cruel acts towards an innocent man introduces the splitting of the community due to racial beliefs. Even after justice was provided by the jury, the debates over race and Tom Robinson still occurred. During the jail’s exercise period, Tom tried to escape but the guards “fired a few shots… then [killed him]” (268). The death of this harmless man casted frowns on Tom’s supporters, but smiles on his enemies. This scene further portrays the separation of Maycomb County because of racial beliefs. Harper Lee utilized controversy in a Southern Town to create a community that struggled to agree with one another in terms of views on

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