Atticus Finch

Virtuous Empathetic

When Scout questioned Atticus about his case, she used the N-word. Atticus quickly told her to avoid the word, as it was not a polite word to use.

Atticus feels it is his moral obligation to take the case, and that he must do it for the sake of goodness.

He feels empathy for Tom Robinson, so he took his case, so he could fight for him and for justice.

Mrs. Dubose yells at Scout and Finch about how awful Atticus is, but Atticus still can feel empathetic to the dying, weak old lady. He orders Jem and Scout to be courteous, out of empathy. despite her awful behavior.

Father of Scout and Finch; nice and fair to both. He serves as their life guide. They appreciate him.

Helper and savior (of sorts) to accused black man Tom Robinson.

He serves as the morally correct, virtuous character to the citizens of Maycomb. The citizens of Maycomb do not appreciate him for that particular aspect of him.

Highest in Caste System

Atticus is a well-off, educated, white lawyer who lives in a decent house in a nice neighborhood.

Longs for racial equality and alliance.

He instructs Scout not to use derogatory terms for African-Americans.

He accepts the Tom Robinson case with the knowledge of the odds stacked against him. He does this to fight for racial equality.