The Intelligence of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are very few people that are truly intelligent. There is only one character that possibly could have proven that Tom Warrups was innocent. Most people wouldve pictured that task as impossible, but not Atticus. Only one parent encouraged their kids to read outside of school. The teachers even told him to stop letting his daughter read but he believed in making sure that she could. Finally, Atticus would rather read and write than shoot guns or play football. No other adult would spend his time reading the paper and other novels. Those are some of the reasons why Atticus is the most intelligent character created in Harper Lees classic.

When Atticus was assigned to defend Tom Warrups in his rape charge against Mayella Ewell, he would have given anything for it to be someone else. However, he took this job seriously when no one else would. He put up with all the name-calling, and then proved that Tom Warrups was innocent. Hardly anyone else would have figured out that Tom Warrups was not guilty, especially using Atticuss ingenious technique. Who else would have thought that because Mayella was hit in her right eye, that the suspect would have to be left-handed? Through, this technique, Atticus proved that Tom Warrups was innocent because he was right handed and Bob Ewell was left-handed. That is truly a stroke of genius that could not have been figured out by any other person, once again proving that Atticus is a genius.

Atticus always enjoyed reading. That is why he felt that his children should be proficient readers. Ever since his kids were born he felt the need to pass his intelligence onto Scout and Jem. He believed that if he taught his kids to be as intelligent as he was, they could grow up to be successful people. Once, when Scout had started the first grade, her teacher, Ms. Caroline, told Scout that she was not allowed to read. However, Atticus encouraged reading and prompted his daughter to read every night with him. In the 1930s only someone truly intelligent would have promoted reading to their kids at such a young age, and thats another reason why Atticus is a genius.

Finally, Atticus is also incredibly smart because while most of his peers are shooting at targets or playing football, Atticus would rather read. Although he was already a successful lawyer, he still worked hard to improve his knowledge through reading. In a town where reading was shunned, Atticus always promoted it. Atticus used to be a sharp shooter and one of the best in the county. However, he gave all that up for books, novels, and work. Only a truly intelligent man and humble character would have chosen his lifestyle.

Henceforth, Atticus is a remarkable and intelligent individual. Harper Lee was truly remarkable in creating the character Atticus. Without him, the classic just wouldnt be the same. Not only was he an intelligent lawyer, but he was probably the best lawyer in Alabama. Only Atticus could have come up with a way to prove Tom Warrups innocence. Also, he wanted his kids to read and be smart, just like him. He even gave up his title as one of the best sharp shooters in the county just to read and study to become a lawyer. And that is why Atticus is the most intelligent and creative character in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird.