Critical Lens To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

â€Å"The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience† said J.K. Clarke. In other words, he his saying that a person who does what is right rather than the easier choice requires courage. This is proven in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how brave Atticus is for putting an effort into defending Tom Robinson (a black man), when it is unacceptable in his society, and obeying his conscience. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus’ point of view is vital in the defense of Tom Robinson. There are many reasons why he is defending Tom Robinson, one of them is that everyone is equal. He stated this many times during the trial, that all men are equal and Tom Robinson should be given the equality. He also states that if he doesn’t defend Tom Robinson â€Å"†¦I couldn’t hold my head up in town.† In other words, he wouldn’t forgive himself, and regret it for his whole life. His point of view is to respect himself and the client whomever it is. Characterization was also used in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus’ personality was described throughout the novel, little by little. He is a very physiological personality. For example, he says to Scout, â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.† This shows how he as a moral compass, in other words, he has a sense of direction in what is right and wrong. He is also very determined in his beliefs, he is determined to get a fair trail for Tom Robinson. He needed all these qualities to have the courage to defend Tom Robinson. Atticus is very courageous to follow his conscience. He thinks that Tom Robinson should have a fighting chance. He tries his hardest in to defending Tom Robinson even though it is unacceptable in today’s society because he sticks to his beliefs and he doesn’t let society interfere with it.