Atticus Father Quotes

“It’s not time to worry yet,” Atticus Finch famously quotes when he and his children, Jem and Jean Louise, informally known as Scout, confront trials and tribulations within their lives (Lee 139). Harper Lee, the infamous author of To Kill a Mockingbird, sets the scene of her novel in Maycomb County, Alabama, during the nineteen thirties, a time of racial prejudice and the Great Depression. Living as a single parent during this pressing time, Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the town of Maycomb, is aware that shielding Jem and Scout from the cruel nature and reality of the world is no longer an option as maturity and understanding overcome the Finch children. Fortunately, Harper Lee wisely chose to incorporate a strong support system, behind the scenes, in the lives of Jem and Scout Finch. Their father, a prominent role model for Jem and Scout; Calpurnia, the Finch’s cook and maternal figure in the children’s lives; Aunt Alexandra; and many surrounding neighbors all contribute to the childhood teachings of Jem and Jean Louise. When Atticus is faced with the burden of defending a black man accused of raping a white woman, he becomes aware that his children will also be affected; however,
Scout’s young mind sees anything that might be abnormal to her as strange and eccentric, and almost immediately, she points out the uncanny quality. Atticus teaches his daughter to examine herself and observe her own flaws before she begins pointing out the weaknesses of others by saying, “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39). Scout learns to have compassion and empathy on some of the most unexpected characters including Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson, and Boo