Atticus Finch: Fatherhood

Atticus, Scout and Jem

(Images used from Pinterest)

To Kill a Mockingbird, most common and talked about piece of literature, I have fallen in love with it in the last number of years and find it to be a lesson in life that we still face to in modern times. The language and the tone can be overbearing but if you really pay attention to the statement it makes it says that our society must change the way we see people and how we treat them. I should have paid better attention in high school. The characters are surrounded by a poor and slow economically challenged town. Its tales fake and fact. Atticus the father and the children Scout and Gem. Hardships of surviving with very little, A widow father raising two children, with the help of Cal and Ms. Maudie the neighbor. Racism at the heart of troubles the people face, the confusing mind and the never ending question of an inquisitive child.

 As a film fan, watching this film means something to me, adding a perspective unlike any other. I think it clearly illustrates more than anything the ideals of fatherhood. During such a depressing time, cultures, races, and hardship are added to the struggles of an adult, widowed father, not only spending late nights at work but helping his children adjust to the difficulties of adults in a world that is sometimes difficult to understand. If it were any other parent, the children would be switched as punishment, Atticus clearly didn't believe in spanking his children. No mother in the picture for Scout and Gem, Atticus in a fatherly and solemn manner taught them as he only knew how in understanding that life was not fair.

My favorite scene in the film is when Scout runs out of the house running to the porch swing, she is been misbehaving at the table, but in Atticus's subtle yet fatherly way, he walks out to the porch calling after her.  Scout is upset, she clearly doesn't understand how things differ  in her world as a child to the world and realities of an adult. She thought that because she was going to school that everything she learned erased everything in her home life and in a way replaced her father's parenting. It didn't, but she didn't understand you could agree to disagree with someone but still respect them. Scout also didn't understand fighting wasn't the answer to life's problem and we can clearly see on several occasions how Atticus reminded her how displeased he was she would resort to fighting, While she wanted to fight the boy at school because she tried helping him out and the teacher became sore, she was also dealing with racism and tales about the Radley home. Atticus's lesson for one is learning to listen.  Sometimes when we are listening we may misunderstand someone and their intentions. A person's race has nothing to do with how they live and what work they can do. The race card is a simple excuse to label someone.

How about the dry and nosy Ms. Dubose? She was an ugly mannered woman. Sitting on her front porch, in the scene where Scout and Gem go to meet their father who has walked toward home from the court house. As they pass by again, Atticus is cordial to the old woman who has a chip on her shoulder. We see his charming ways as he compliments her on her floral choices for the year, commenting on how they could be prize winning.  The brief swatting of Jem and Scout because they are snickering as they forge an alliance of their own with Atticus as the wall of peace. Imagining as children ourselves our fathers, uncles and grandfathers swatting or silently correcting us.

Scout is simply a tomboy when it comes down to it. All the girls growing up wanted an Atticus to teach us about life whatever the lesson, we wanted to be closer to our fathers and tell us that everything was going to be okay no matter what we faced. If we learn how to treat people in the beginning, it will make us better as a society. We also wanted Atticus to be our fathers because he was a safeguard against the world. most importantly, we wanted to know that despite our tomboy appearances, we looked very nice in a dress. I think for most young girls growing up and maybe as adults we idolized our fathers, because they were perfect to us, before realizing father weren't perfect and made tons of mistakes. Least we not forget Grandfathers and Uncles who made us feel as Atticus made his children feel in his presence and his absence. The film  immortalized Gregory Peck, there are certainly Atticus Finches out there we adore.