Atticus for America: Part 1

Introduction

I’ve had this idea for a while, but always shied away as I don’t want this blog to be seen as political in any way, and I was afraid that’s how my thoughts would be interpreted.

However, this topic drifts back to the front of my mind pretty frequently. As I’ve reflected more, I realize that there is no need for it to be political. My intention is to make universal points, points that are somewhat opposed to the prevailing political winds of any direction.

What is this grand topic? My defense of Atticus Finch as one of the greatest American heroes for recent generations. He can be a hero to anyone, regardless of religion, politics, or any other controversial area.

At first, I’d planned to put forth my whole thesis – as in message – in one post. As I’ve worked on it, I’ve discovered it is now a thesis – as in a lengthy look at a topic – and it will take two posts.

One more thing before I get into the meat of this first post. I’m not going to focus on the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird in detail. I’ll only include what is necessary to provide context for the various traits of Atticus Finch I’ll be addressing. This means that these posts will be (hopefully) spoiler-free and understandable if you haven’t read the book.

Heroes and History

With those opening statements out of the way, I’ll start presenting my case for Atticus Finch to be ruled one of the great heroes of modern America.

In any discussion, especially one that tends toward persuasion, it is important to start with everyone on the same page. For this, I like to look at definitions and context. Before I can present anyone as an American hero, I need to explain what that is.

At least in my experience, we are presented with many influential people to regard as heroes through the history classes we take in school. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison. These and other founding fathers spring to mind for many of us when we think of great men in history. As time goes on, men like Lincoln join the pantheon of historical tours de force. In the 20th century, our heroes became men of war or science.

All these men—and a few women—are thought to embody something not just noble and aspirational, but uniquely American.

Traits like leadership, bravery, integrity, intelligence, tenacity, and foresight are the common denominators of our favorite heroes, and these traits are worthy goals for us all to this day.

Unfortunately, many of the heroes themselves have become history-bound. Their humanity has been slowly forgotten since they’ve been laid to rest—or has fallen out of public view for those that are still with us. Their humanity has been overshadowed by their history-making actions.

Washington is the “Father of our Country,” Madison is the “Father of the Constitution,” Lincoln is the “Great Emancipator;” portraits in a textbook with titles that condense a whole life into one action or trait.

Our recent war and science heroes are the most evanescent of all. Wars fall out of favor. Scientific discoveries become outdated faster every day.

And, whether you buy into it or not, the recent upheaval over the so-called “revisionist” history some are accused of teaching proves that we have entered a new era. While our historical forebears shouldn’t lose our respect, they have lost their immediacy.

So, that is what American heroes are and the crisis we are in regarding them. It is only logical that a void will eventually open when the most treasured heroes become a century or two old. The harder issue to tackle is how we fill that void.

Reality in Fiction

Before I go any further, I want to address what some might see as a fallacy, or at least a medium-sized elephant in the room. Washington, Lincoln, and the other men I have referenced are all real. They lived, laughed, and loved on earth just like you and me.

Atticus Finch is not real, in that sense. He is a fictional character.

So, how can he fill the void left by real-life heroes?

His actions and character traits themselves are the topic of next week’s post. For now, I’ll explain by returning to my point about historical figures losing their humanity.

To a lot of people, especially students, Washington, Lincoln and the like are not much more than a textbook chapter, a test question, and a few dates on a timeline. Even the most in-depth, passionate historian cannot give us full insight into the psyche of long-dead men. We can get hints, maybe read a few personal letters, but that’s it.

Don’t get me wrong. I love these hints, these flashes of life and vitality in the often-dry landscape of history class. There have been many moments when I’ve read something or learned a fact that made a historical figure come to life. Those moments are amazing and rewarding.

But they are also fleeting. We look at historical figures like photographs taken with a water-spotted camera. Parts of the image are in focus. Just as many parts are blurry. We see enough of the picture to know what it is, but that’s all.

Fiction authors, while working outside of absolute fact, can bring everything into focus. They are like realist portrait painters. It may not be exactly the same as reality, but it is just as detailed and the next best thing.

Besides, paintings make us feel in ways photographs never can.

Reading To Kill a Mockingbird, I felt a humanity in the characters that a historical account, no matter how good, could never convey.

When heroes become figures in a textbook, they lose their power.

When they feel real, we can learn from them in a deeper way. We can see their thoughts, facial expression, the turns of phrase they use in daily conversation. Authors draw on a wide variety of knowledge and experience, creating a rich, composite reality for their characters. They make their characters vivid reflections of life, even though they are imaginary.

That’s Atticus Finch. Sometimes he reminds us of someone we know, sometimes of ourselves. When we make those connections, we are more receptive when he resembles someone we should strive to be.

Conclusion

This may seem like a sudden plot twist, but bear with me. When I took Spanish in high school, we learned that there were two different words for “to know:” saber, and conocer. Saber means to know a fact. Conocer means to be acquainted with something. Saber is the way we know historical figures. Conocer is the way we know our favorite characters. Concer is the deeper kind of knowledge.

And don’t you think the best heroes are the ones you can know deeply?