To Kill a Mockingbird AnalysisIn To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Atticus Finch, a highly respected Macomb County defense attorney, made the life-changing decision to defend everything heart a caring black man, Tom. Robinson, wrongly accused of rape. Many conflicts have arisen because of Atticus' choice to defend a black man against the word of a white man. Despite the cowardice and ridicule of the town, Atticus remains faithful to what is right. "They certainly have the right to think that, and they have the right to have their opinions fully respected... but before I can live with other people, I have to live with myself. The only thing that doesn't respect the majority rule, it’s a person’s conscience” (140) Throughout the story, Atticus’ daughter Scout goes from being a troublemaker always looking to pick a fight with anyone with. who she disagreed with, to a young woman capable of following her father's example and "considering things from his point of view...you climb inside his skin and walk around in it » (30). Through Atticus' wise and steadfast character, the theme is revealed. The bond between Atticus and Scout teaches him the one thing he was trying to do all along: don't just fight; stand up and fight for what is right, whatever the cost At the beginning of the story, Scout, her brother Jem and their friend Dill are obsessed with their mysterious neighbor Arthur (Boo) Radley. Boo Radley had never been seen outside his house after being taken there after completing his detention for stabbing his father in the leg with scissors. The children decide to “take him out” (16). Through the children's descriptions of Boo as a "malicious ghost", Harper Lee is able to create a tone that conceals the true nature of Boo Radley b...... middle of paper...... come on--this not only foreshadowed Mr. Ewell's attack, but also his fate. Both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley symbolized a mockingbird; However, it wasn't until the end of the story that Scout realized this. Asked if she understood that Mr Ewell had fallen on his own knife, she replied: "Well, that would be a bit like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" (370). Even though Scout knew that Boo killed Bob Ewell, she also knew that Boo did it to save them. Like Atticus, Boo Radley stood up for what was right even though it had been 15 years since he had been seen outside his house. Innocence, represented by the mockingbird, Tom and Boo, cannot be earned, although it can be abandoned; However, character can only be acquired through the courage to stand up for what is right when the only benefit is the exercise of one's own integrity, which in Atticus' eyes is benefit enough..