Kashish KhullarMarch 7th, 2013TKAM Research paperMrs. DArcangelo

The Heroics of Atticus FinchWhen one hears the word hero, he or she thinks of a fictional superhero. Superman, Batman, Spiderman and the list goes on. However what many people do not realize is that there are many more things one can do to become a hero. They do not realize that a hero does not have to originate from a movie, comic book or television, yet it must be only someone who has a positive effect on people. Unfortunately, both people and society are corrupt, so there is a need of a figure who can erase this disappointing factor and unite the community as one. A society will always have the characteristic of being corrupt in some corner, no matter how nice of a fantasy it may seem like. This corruptness, unfortunately, is there to stay. Yet to help limit this aspect, heroes were created in many different ways. A hero is courageous, determined, dedicated and is all about selflessness. A hero is there to eliminate negative components in society, so no one will really hate on them. Such a hero was found in Alabama in Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird. This hero was given the name Atticus Finch. As mentioned before, heroes were created in many different ways. In this novel, Atticus Finch can be portrayed as a Romantic hero and an Epic hero.First and foremost, Atticus Finch is a Romantic hero. The battle with a Romantic hero is an internal one, fought with one and his feelings and in the end the battle is one by the heros individualism, a trait Atticus is shown to portray. This novel takes place during a time in which blacks were considered nothing as compared whites. Obviously now the current of society flows towards or in favor of the whites, as the current of a river would flow towards the riverbank. However Atticus is one fish in the river that goes against this current, even while knowing the danger that could come to him by taking part in this extreme feat. He explains this to Jem: Theres something in our world that makes men lose their heads- they couldnt be fair if they tried. In our courts, when its a white mans word against a black mans word, the white always wins. Theyre ugly, but these are the facts of life (Lee 295). Atticus expresses his quality of individualism when he says this because he is saying how he does not like the rules established by society that all follow, he is against something everyone agrees with and does not go with the crowd. When he says this he shows that he living all in favor of his views. This is another view found in Romantic heroes, being able to focus on ones feelings. In the novel Atticus must defend Tom Robinson, a falsely accused African-American man, in court. Just by doing this he emits another characteristic shown by Romantic heroes. To a Romantic hero there are no such things as class or skin color, society is one. Atticus wholeheartedly takes on this case thrown upon Tom and attempts to defend him. However, doing such a thing is greatly frowned upon by society and this is where the danger in going against the current comes in. People are against him, some throwing nasty slurs at him and some ganging up on him. Yet despite this, he is still there for Tom. He stands for what he thinks is right and will not retreat from his goal at any cost. Another trait of a Romantic hero is that he values self-knowledge more than physical strength. This directly relates to why you would more likely see Atticus calm and in a suit rather than hunting an animal. There is only one incident in the book in which Atticus shoots down a rabid dog to protect his children; that is the most savage it will get from him. All these characteristics are what make Atticus a Romantic hero. Along with being a Romantic hero, Atticus is also an Epic hero. An Epic hero is known to take on tasks that no one else dares to attempt. Atticus is assigned the case of Tom Robinson due to him being an Epic hero. His skills as a lawyer surpass those of ordinary lawyers, which is why he is given this specific case that no other could think of taking up, this is what makes him different and separate from everyone else. People also tend to have respect for an Epic hero, whether they may or may not happen to like them. He is obviously respected by those who like him, for example when his daughter Scout says It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived. (Lee 134). Scout has gained a whole new level of respect for her father, this incident happens when she sees Atticus being polite to Mrs. Dubose, who is not the kindest to Atticus. This shows that as an Epic hero, you do not need weapons to be physically strong, but rather have words towards someone to be mentally strong. Atticus is repaid when Mrs. Dubose smiles at him, despite not liking him. Just this small smile shows so much respect. Another trait possessed by an Epic hero is fighting for a noble cause, which is obviously seen in the novel. Atticus is helping a defenseless, accused man who has no one else to assist him. This shows Atticus nobleness in the most obvious ways. Atticus may have been assigned this, but he did not have to take this task at all. He took it for the sake of it being a noble cause. Atticus is to defend a man who is automatically seen guilty because of the social norm that directly affects the novel. Atticus even knew of the possible harms that could have been done to him for taking this task; but he does it for a helpless man. He absorbs the insults thrown at him but keeps his head high for the sake of a stranger. One last quality of an Epic hero would be being superior to the average man yet still having a weakness. For example Achilles, the Greek warrior. His weakness was his tendon, but despite that he still fought in the biggest battles in Greek history. Atticus weakness however is his children. Now in this novel Atticus is not usually seen to lose his composure, throughout the story he is very composed. However when his children are in danger, he did tend to lose it. He loses his composure and actually shows fear. The ability to do so is that of a heros. What there is to realize that there is more to the world of heroes than Superman, Batman or Spiderman. Heroes can come from all over the place and not just movies and books. A hero is someone who has a positive effect on his surroundings. A heros job is to uncorrupt a corrupt society. A hero will patch up society with his courageousness, his determination and his dedication. Somewhat like how Atticus Finch did in Harper Lees novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus does what no other of his kind has dared to do, practically going against the current of society as it is. In the novel Atticus does portray to be both a Romantic hero and an Epic hero by displaying wondrous qualities shown in no ordinary being. As a hero, he surely does deliver what society deserves, for the best of it.

Works CitedLee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1960. Print.

Norman, Vera. Four Conceptions of the Heroic Fellowshipofreason.com. Fellowship of Reason, n.d. Web. < http://www.fellowshipofreason.com/archives/4heroes.htm>.

Allingham, Philip. Notes on Heroic Poetry: The Primary and Secondary Epic victorianweb.org. The Victorian Web, n.d. Web. < http://www.victorianweb.org/genre/epic2.html>.

Jadhav, Aparna. Characteristics of a hero buzzle.com. Buzzle, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. < http://www.buzzle.com/articles/characteristics-of-a-hero.html>.