Atticus Finch, father of Jem and Scout, is an understanding man who tries to teach his mischievous children while coping empathetically with his peculiar neighbors. Throughout the first part of To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus shows how he is a caring father, a righteous lawyer and a respected community member of Maycomb. He also has a humble personality which is gradually revealed to us through the death of Mrs. Dubose and the incident of the mad dog. However, when it comes time to stand up for what is right, nothing can stop him.
             As a typical gentleman, Atticus is always courteous towards ladies, even the hateful Mrs. Dubose. Atticus turned Mrs.Dubose' insults into a life lesson for Scout and Jem by displaying tolerance and confidence. He educates Scout and Jem on being tolerant of others' shortcomings and to forgive them. With this in mind, he insisted for Jem to apologize and read to Mrs.Dubose regularly every afternoon, even though he knows the pain Jem will suffer from Mrs.Dubose's harsh insults. When the truth about Mrs.Dubose was revealed, Jem and Scout were both deeply shaken by the fact they learnt.
             Another characteristic of Atticus is his tolerance of race and religion. Atticus is primarily concerned for the welfare of his community which, for him, includes the whites as well as the blacks. The cook, Calpurnia and the Tom Robinson case are both clear examples of him taking on the side of the coloured people and defending for them. Having lost their mother at extremely young ages, Calpurnia became the motherly figure in the house. Using her own unique way of educating the children, Scout and Jem seem to treat her as more than just a coloured cook. Atticus immediately refused when Aunt Alexandra proposed to expel Calpurnia from the house and exerted a distinctive relation with Calpurnia. Thus we see that Atticus does not possess the usual faults of a South American man - prejudice and arrogance.
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