Atticus is the town's most respected lawyer. He is not wealthy, but he is well off in the community and kind towards everyone. He has been assigned a case of defending a black man accused of rape. Now he is both revered and reviled by the townspeople. After all, they do live in the south in the early 1930's. Atticus gives a lot of advice to his kids. He tells them that they cannot judge …showed first 75 words of 562 total…

…showed last 75 words of 562 total…is taught to Jem and Scout by Atticus when he teaches them about the mockingbird. He says that the mockingbird is innocent and only sings for you. It is therefore wrong to kill it. Atticus,One might say he is an adult and therefore mature. This is a very irrational statement because there are many adults that have no hint of maturity. His view is very enlightened for a white southern man in the thirties.