In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, why does Atticus choose not to reveal to his children that Judge Taylor appointed him to Tom's...

In Chapter 16, while Scout is standing by the wall near the stairwell in the courthouse, she overhears a group of men discussing the trial. She hears them say, "you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger...Yea, but Atticus aims to defend him. That's what I don't like about it" (Lee 218). Scout is surprised to hear that her father did not have a choice at defending Tom Robinson. She mentions that she...

In Chapter 16, while Scout is standing by the wall near the stairwell in the courthouse, she overhears a group of men discussing the trial. She hears them say, "you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger...Yea, but Atticus aims to defend him. That's what I don't like about it" (Lee 218). Scout is surprised to hear that her father did not have a choice at defending Tom Robinson. She mentions that she finds it odd that he didn't say anything to them about it, and that they could have used that information to defend Atticus when individuals would criticize him. Scout says that it would have resulted in fewer fights and less fussing.

Atticus chose not to tell Jem and Scout this information because it would undermine his ability to lead by example and show his children what "real courage" is. Jem and Scout needed to see that their father chose to defend Tom Robinson for the right reasons, which included preserving justice and standing up to racial prejudice, and not because he was simply "told to" by Judge Taylor. Also, Atticus knew that he planned to defend Tom Robinson to the best of his ability. There had been other court-appointed lawyers who gave no effort in defending their black clients, but Atticus was different. He accepted the challenge and did not use his situation as an excuse like other lawyers had done in the past. Scout mentions that she finds it odd that Atticus didn't tell her that he was appointed the case. Because of her naive perspective, Scout sees situations in "black and white." She says the court appointed Atticus to defend Tom, and Atticus planned to defend him, but cannot figure out why the town is upset about that. Scout does not understand the nuance involved in truly defending a client versus not actually "defending" them because they are black. Scout is confused at Atticus' decision not to mention the fact that he was appointed by Judge Taylor.