Atticus’s solution to Scout’s
problems at school shows that he wants his children, especially Scout, to live with
understanding. This is one theme in the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird.
He wants Scout to be able to understand others opinions, especially her
teacher, Miss Caroline, and forgive her for being human and making mistakes.
Atticus explains to Scout, “You never really understand a person until you
consider things from his point of view.” (39) He also wants her to be a smart
individual, “In your case, the laws remain ridged. So to school you must go.”
(40) Atticus tells these solutions in such a way so that it is clear that he
wants Scout to always understand others opinions and be an intellectual, not
just in school, but also in life.
Though he treats Scout in an adult
way, he also really cares for her as a child. The reason Harper Lee created
Atticus was to give understanding of Maycomb through experienced eyes. Harper
Lee made Atticus as Scout’s father to help Scout learn to understand and be
mature. Atticus is a firm but kind father and thoughtful man. He bends the
rules, “compromise,” (41) just so Scout willingly goes to school. He
understands that not everything in life is fair and honest, and tries to
explain this to Scout by using the Ewells as an example. As this is reflected
on, some questions remain: How will the relationship between Scout and Atticus change
as the story progresses? Does Atticus treat his children like adults
because he thinks they are able or because that is the only way he knows how?
As Scout gets older, the relationship will change slightly. As more things become common sense to her, she will not need so much guiding. Also, as she grows older, Atticus will be more of a father than a sibling, which brings me to my next point.
ReplyDeleteI agree when you say that Atticus treats his children like adults. However, Scout and Jem have described their relationship with their father as more of a much older, and much more knowledgeable sibling. Atticus is fine with this, as he has two siblings as well.
Do you think the relationship between Jem and Scout is similar to Atticus and Scout?
In response to Kaley's second question, Atticus treats his children as adults because they are able. They seem understand and have positive reactions to this parenting method and are very smart individuals. As well as teaching his kids Atticus's parenting method contains a lot of his children teaching themselves, he supplies then with the materials but they need to learn how to apply them.
ReplyDeleteScouts relationships to Jem and Atticus are similar in the way that she learns from both but her relationship with Atticus is a lot more adult/older based. He teaches her from books and life lessons while when she is with Jem she is learning lessons on how to be a kid.
Do you think Atticus has stronger views of Scouts learning and going to school because he never went to school himself?
Although Atticus is the father of Scout and Jem, he is not exactly viewed as a typical "father figure". I agree with the idea that Atticus loves and cares for his children with the same love that most parents posses for their children, yet the way he presents it is very different in comparison. It seems most likely that this relationship will remain the same throughout the book, simply because he may not know how to treat them like children.
ReplyDelete"Our mother died when I was two, so I never felt her absence." (7) Due to the family's loss, Atticus surely was set back in terms of parenting. Without a wife to guide him and to take care of their children, Atticus was forced into an unfamiliar job, completely unprepared for what he was in for. Atticus is definitely trying his hardest to keep up with his children, but with his work and financial situation, it made things difficult.
In conclusion, I think that Atticus treats his children like adults because of both reasons. Since he has always treated his children like adults because of his lack of knowledge about parenting, it makes his children also able to understand being treated like an adult. So at the current stage in the book, I think that Atticus treats his children as if they are older because they are used to it. But do you think Scout would've come to be so intelligent if it were not for Atticus' parenting? Do you think that Atticus would've treated his children any differently if his wife was still alive, or would he still be a bit confused?
I am now thinking about Nell's question. I think that since they are poor, Atticus wants Scout to be more successful then him. I think he wants Scout to make the most out of her education so she can achieve this goal. For this to happen Atticus cannot let Scout hit kids at school because it will make it harder for Scout to stay in school. Does anyone else agree?
ReplyDeleteAtticus and his children have a very interesting relationship. He treats them with both "courteous detachment"(6) and great respect. While modern parents would have reacted to this problem by either screaming and bullying their children to continue their studies or, in cultures or classes that aren't our own, they wouldn't have cared enough to stop their children from quitting school. These are both extreme ways of parenting, but Atticus found a happy medium. He didn't feed Scout the solution, but made her struggle with understanding the compromise.
ReplyDeleteThis parenting style is very constructive for Scout. It is hard to tell what will happen later in the book, but I would assume that Atticus's main role is to help Scout understand right versus wrong. His role as a lawyer illustrates that position in Scout's life. This is certainly not a coincidence in Harper Lee's writing.
I'd also like to bring up the topic of Calpurnia. She is a classic maternal figure to Scout, but her style is much more 'no-nonsense' then Atticus's. Is the contrast between having two very different parental figures difficult for Scout? Atticus and Calpurnia never interact on more then a daily polite level, so will the two styles balance out or will they cause tension for Scout? Will Scout have to choose between two different ways of doing the right thing, and if so, will this make Scout more aware of right versus wrong?
In response to Jenna's question, I think that Atticus' parenting style and Calpurnia's teaching style will interact, but balance each other. Atticus teaches Scout to understand others, to "climb into their skin and walk around in it." (39) While Calpurnia's teaching style is rougher, she too is teaching Scout to respect her peers, to let them "eat up the table cloth" (33) if they want to do so, because it may be their way of doing things. While Calpurnia and Atticus may be teaching Scout different ways, that does not mean that they are teaching different things. That is how the two parenting styles can balance out.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, can either of these styles work on their own for Scout? If so, how would she act differently? What would happen, if, say, Atticus had to go on a long business trip, and how would Scout and Calpurnia treat each other?