Atticus Finch is a noble man. He is appointed as Tom Robinson's attorney by Judge Taylor, which is a case no one wanted to take. Still, Atticus takes Tom's case very seriously because he's not racist. In fact, Atticus wants to do his best for his client because he not only has a chance to save a man's life, but also sees defending Tom well as an opportunity to stand up for what is right....
Atticus Finch is a noble man. He is appointed as Tom Robinson's attorney by Judge Taylor, which is a case no one wanted to take. Still, Atticus takes Tom's case very seriously because he's not racist. In fact, Atticus wants to do his best for his client because he not only has a chance to save a man's life, but also sees defending Tom well as an opportunity to stand up for what is right. Unfortunately, the community treats Atticus with great prejudice because of the deep roots of racism in Maycomb. About six to eight months before the trial actually takes place, Atticus tells his brother Jack the following:
Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand... I just hope Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town (88).
Jem and Scout aren't able to avoid the town, though. At school and on their own street, the children hear people call their father a "ni**** lover" a lot. Scout asks her father if that is what he is and he responds with the following:
I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... 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 (108).
Atticus takes people treating him with disrespect with a proverbial grain of salt. He's an emotional and psychological rock! Atticus even teaches his kids to remember that everyone on the opposite side of his case will always be considered friends. For the most part, that remains true after the intensity of the trial ends and dies down.
The only person in the community who doesn't continue to be Atticus's friend is Bob Ewell. In chapter 23, Bob Ewell confronts Atticus coming out of the post office and spits on him. Ewell also threatens to kill Atticus and provokes him to fight. Atticus's response is that he isn't interested in fighting because he's too old, not because he's a coward. Atticus's dry response to everything in life comes off a little bit funny and ironic. Normally, a person would be riled up by what Bob does, but Atticus isn't. All Atticus says to his children is, "I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco" (217).
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