My favourite character in To Kill A Mockingbird was Atticus Finch. There are four main characteristics to explain why I like Atticus Finch the most, which are, he is wise, patient, caring and he faces all troubles bravely. Another main reason why I like Atticus Finch the most is because I empathise with him, for example, he is unpopular because he helps a Negro. I have also been through a similar experience when I protected the victim of a bully, even if that made me slightly more unpopular with my schoolmates. I shall explain why Atticus' characteristics caused me to view him as my favourite character, in my following paragraphs.
Firstly, Atticus is wise and patient. He views situations objectively instead of letting his personal points of view shadow his view of situations, as such, he makes fair judgements. Other than being able to make fair judgements, Atticus is also able to remain calm in tense situations and consider things carefully, thus, he is able to make the right decisions most of the time, be it morally right or right in the sense that it benefits the most amount of people. For example, when Bob Ewell spit at Atticus, instead of turning violent and attacking Bob Ewell back as most people would have done, Atticus instead just ignores it and walks on. He did not harm Bob Ewell or hurt his pride, instead, he earned respect from people for considering his options and not retaliating to an attack, and instead of him being ridiculed as Bob Ewell had intended, it is instead Bob Ewell himself who got ridiculed. Such careful consideration, wisdom and patience is rarely found in anyone, and thus, I respect Atticus.
Next, Atticus is caring. He cares for his children well and yet, he does not spoil them because he knows that by doing that, he would not be helping his children. Other than being caring towards his children, Atticus is also rather caring towards other members of the public. For example, instead of letting Tom Robinson go into a court without a lawyer and thus, almost ensuring Tom Robinson being found guilty, Atticus takes up the case for Tom Robinson and becomes his lawyer, even though that makes him unpopular amongst the people of Maycomb, as he is helping a Negro. Atticus is also caring towards his children. Instead of telling his children about the negative side of people, he instead tries to show the children that everyone has a positive side. For example, instead of telling his children that Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose was a racist and that the children should avoid her and not listen to whatever she says, Atticus instead tells them about the strength of her spirit, how she fought against her addiction to morphine in order to die a free person.
Finally, Atticus faces all his troubles bravely and without complain. When he is expected to shoot a dog, although it goes against what he believes in, he still shoots the dog because he knows it is for the greater good, and that sacrifices must be made. He knows that certain sacrifices have to be made for the greater good and is not afraid to make these sacrifices. When Bob Ewell gave him trouble, he did not complain, instead, he faced this trouble bravely and calmly. When he became unpopular for defending a Negro, he did not complain either, but instead, did his best to defend the Negro, unafraid to sacrifice his image to help save an innocent person's life.
As a result of all these factors, I respect and thus like Atticus Finch the most in To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus is in essence the perfect character in the sense that whatever he does is not wrong, even if the decisions he makes may make him unpopular, and even if what he does may not succeed.
Regards,
Chong Kai En, 2i106
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