Alright, this is my first PG proposal, and it's for Atticus Finch, a character from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. This proposal doesn't include the version of Atticus from Go Set a Watchman, due to that book simply being a first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird and because Atticus' character is starkly different.
What's the Work?[]
To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1960 novel written by Harper Lee, told from the perspective of a girl named Scout Finch, as she witnesses her father, Atticus, take part in a controversial legal case.
The setting is Maycomb County, a quiet yet extremely racist part of Alabama, and the case in question is about a black man, Tom Robinson, who's been falsely accused of raping and assaulting an underage white girl, Mayella Ewell. Atticus, a lawyer, decides to take the case.
Who Is He/What Has He Done?[]
Atticus willingly takes Tom's side in the case, knowing that he'll likely lose due to the racist climate of the town, yet still persists and actually presents a pretty damning case against Mayella's father, Bob Ewell (although he still loses in the end). It's also worth noting that he received significant backlash from the town, with mobs forming and threatening to kill/hurt him, and yet Atticus still goes on with the case.
Throughout the novel, Atticus repeatedly gives Scout and her brother, Jem, advice on how to be less aggressive, discouraging them from getting into fights and potentially being racist.
Towards the end of the book, after losing his case, Bob Ewell spits in Atticus' face and swears revenge on him, and Atticus does absolutely nothing back to him. This is further emphasized in the movie, where Atticus looks like he's about to attack him, but then simply decidesnot to and leaves.
Eventually, Bob Ewell tries to attack Scout and Jem, but he is killed a Boo Radley, a strange, possibly mentally ill man living near the Finches. After Atticus and the sheriff find about this, they decide to cover it up, knowing that the town would likely find him guilty despite saving Scout and Jem's lives, in order to let Boo maintain his innocence and continue living a peaceful life.
Atticus tends to abstain from violence unless absolutely necessary. When a rabid dog comes into town, he very reluctantly shoots it, for the safety of the town and to put the dog out of its misery.
Corrupting Factors[]
Absolutely none.
Admirable Standard[]
He's easily the purest character in the book, as even his kids sometimes cause fights and make racial assumptions, while Atticus never does.
Final Verdict[]
He is an absolute yes.