(he withholds his marksmanship skills fromJem and Scout) and moral consciousness (by undertaking the defense of Tom Robinson). He displays his love of family (paying for his brother's education); his sympathy for the weak ("it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" and "the worst thing you can do" is for a white man to cheat a black man); and his responsibility toward his community (he repeatedly runs unopposed as Maycomb's representative in the state legislature). But above all, Atticus is known for his love of fellow man. He defends Mr. Cunningham for free, trusting that Cunningham will eventually pay (in some manner). He is probably the most respected man in town, and he has no ill will toward anyone (except perhaps Bob Ewell). Maudie reminds Scout that Atticus is the same man whether he is within the privacy of his own home or in a crowd of people. Perhaps the highest compliment he is paid comes from Maudie, when she tells Alexandra that

"... we're paying the highest tribute we can pay a man. We trust him to do right. It's that simple." 

Many of Jem's decisions and comments display his respect for Atticus. There are several scenes throughout the novel that depict Jem's respect for his father. In Chapter 6, Jem loses his pants escaping from the Radleys' yard after attempting to look at Boo through the window. That night, Jem decides to return to the Radleys' yard to retrieve his pants. Scout attempts to stop Jem from returning to the yard because she fears that Nathan will shoot him. Jem explains why he feels it is necessary to get his pants by saying,

"I—it's like this, Scout. . . Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way" (Lee 35).

Jem portrays his respect for Atticus by refusing to compromise his father's trust in him. Jem does not want to disappoint Atticus, which is why he returns to the Radley yard to retrieve his pants.

Another scene which demonstrates Jem's respect for Atticus takes place in Chapter 10. After Atticus shoots a rabid dog, Miss Maudie explains to the children why Atticus never bragged about his excellent marksmanship. When Scout mentions that she cannot wait to tell her friends at school about Atticus's talent, Jem tells her to keep quiet. The following comments depict Jem's respect for Atticus.

"Atticus is real old, but I wouldn't care if he couldn't do anything—I wouldn't care if he couldn't do a blessed thing. . . Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!" (Lee 62).

There are many different examples of Atticus's compassion.  One is the fact that he took the Tom Robinson case, a case that he knew he would lose and that would turn many people against him.  But he knew that Tom was innocent, and so had compassion on him.  Throughout the novel he was also a constant advocate of Boo's privacy.  He lectures the kids about bugging him too much, and doesn't give in to their curious questions about him.  In the end, he has compassion on Boo and agrees with Heck on the story of how Bob Ewell died, which might not have been the truth.  But because of his compassion, he lies to protect Boo from any repercussions.  Other examples of compassion:  he goes personally to tell Tom's wife when he had been shot; he is gracious and helpful to the surly Mrs. Dubose as she went through a difficult time before her death; and he allows Dill to stay with them for a while after he ran away.

Those are just a few of the examples of Atticus and his compassion in the story.  He is a great example of how to show kindness and charity in difficult situations, and that is evident in many of his actions in the book.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has the challenge of raising two young children on his own. Though his maid, Calpurnia, takes care of chores and cooking meals for the family, Atticus is fully committed to raising his children, and imparting unto them his values about fairness and justice. As with any family with more than one child, Atticus shows his children that he cares for them equally in a variety of ways.

A telling example occurs near the beginning of the book. As Atticus tucks Scout in for the night, she asks to play with his pocket watch. Atticus mentions that the watch will belong to Jem one day, as it is custom for a son to receive his father’s watch. He goes on to say that when Scout is an adult, he will give her a ring and necklace that once belonged to her mother. By telling this to Scout, he is also reassuring her that she, too, will have a permanent connection to her parents, especially the mother she never knew.

Atticus also makes it clear to his children that a proper education is important for both of them. Despite his long hours working as a defense attorney, Atticus takes time each evening to read to Scout, something he has done since she was an infant. Because of this attention, Scout knows how to read even before her first day of school. Even when Scout becomes frustrated at school due to the teacher and other students, Atticus talks to her like an adult so that she will not stay antagonistic against education. Atticus' actions reveal much about his character considering that southern culture at the time put a lower value on women’s education than it does today.

“So it took an eight-year-old child to bring 'em to their senses.... That proves something - that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human. . . ." Atticus Finch commented the night a lynch mob visited him and Tom Robinson at the county jail.  Scout, Jem and Dill had shown up, unsure what was occurring, and Scout, remembering her manners, had tried to strike up a friendly conversation with a classmate's father, Walter Cunningham, who was taken off guard by Scout's friendly overtures and called off the mob.  Atticus was visibly shaken after the encounter, and, far from punishing Jem for refusing to take Scout and Dill home as he had instructed, Atticus ruffles Jem's hair affectionately as they walk home. 

Although Atticus isn't always overtly affectionate, he does hug his children, read to them, and speak to them with love and respect, even when he's unhappy with Scout for fighting in the schoolyard or Jem for destroying Mrs. Dubose's camellia bushes. 

Atticus is characterized quite differently from the other adults in the story. It seems the author purposely sets him apart for the purpose of making him seem more open minded to the social and cultural atmosphere of the time. Racial and cultural tensions are made obvious and Atticus is clearly the "reasoning mind" behind the madness. This proves to be an almost nurturing quality. He is able to be both patient and keep the peace because of this quality. Although their home life is not "conventional" of the time, being that Atticus works much of the time and there is no mother, the kids seem very well adjusted and obviously take on Atticus's open-minded ways. For example, when Scout is so intrigued by her recluse of a neighbor, although there is the possibility of danger, she is able to give this stranger the benefit of the doubt. This is a trait she received from Atticus. Atticus puts himself at odds from his friends and colleagues by choosing to represent a black man. He refuses to let that hostility stop him from defending someone he believes is innocent and would otherwise not get a fair trial simply because of the color of his skin. When tensions arise because of his decision to defend a black man, Atticus refuses to take the hostility personally, taking the problem in stride without getting offended and keeping patient with his narrow minded friends because he knows they are only acting the way they have been taught from a segregated society.