rules taught by atticus

Hi.

Here's some:

Chapter 5

Quote:

"'So that's what you were doing, wasn't it?'

'Makin' fun of him?'

'No," said Atticus, "Putting his life's history on display for the edification of the neighborhood.'

Jem seemed to swell a little. 'I didn't say we were doin' that, I didn't say it!'

Atticus grinned dryly. 'You just told me,' he said. 'You stop this nonsense right now, every one of you.'" Page 49

Analysis:

Atticus is rarely very stern with his children. Here, with his strong words, he shows that the Radleys should not be made fun of and are not bad people. This creates some unspoken tension between father and children, as they are not entirely convinced.

Chapter 7

Quote:

"As Atticus once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem's skin and walk around in it: if I had gone alone to the Radley Place at two in the morning, my funeral would have been held the next afternoon. So I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him." Page 57

Analysis:

Here is one example of many where Scout uses Atticus' advice to resolve conflict in her life. Clearly, Scout has great respect for both her father and brother, and demonstrates a high level of maturity for her young age.

Chapter 10

Quote:

"Atticus said to Jem one day, 'I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'

That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.

'Your father's right,' she said. 'Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'" Page 90

Analysis:

In addition to bearing the title of the novel, this passage demonstrates yet again how similar Atticus and Mrs. Maudie are. Both agree quite strongly that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, an animal symbolic of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, as neither has caused harm, and prove only to have pure hearts.

Chapter 11

Quote:

"'A lady?' Jem raised his head. His face was scarlet. 'After all those things she said about you, a lady?'

'She was. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...Son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her. I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.'" Page 112

Analysis:

Here, Atticus educates his children as to the true meaning of heroism. Mrs. Dubose was a rather cranky and offensive old woman who lived nearby. She spoke out harshly against Atticus, and in a fit of rage, Jem attacked her flower bed. As punishment, he had to read to her every day after school. Unknowingly, Jem was helping the woman overcome her morphine addiction. Atticus reveals this to his children after the woman has passed, and lets them evaluate the situation for themselves. Atticus treats his children as adults and shows them the meaning of true courage. The last two lines in the passage serve as an analogy to the Tom Robinson case and show that Atticus knows he will not win, but must try his best in his search for justice.