Since its debut in 1960, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird has been a huge success. The book presents many thought-provoking ideas and life lessons that are still relevant today, 60 years later. One of the book's protagonists, Atticus Finch, has become one of the most beloved fathers in fiction for his extraordinary parenting skills. Over the course of the plot, the main protagonist, Scout, shows clear signs of maturation. He learns from his father's wise words and applies them to situations accordingly. On the other side of the spectrum, antagonist Bob Ewell sets a bad example for his children. The purpose of this literary essay is the role of parents in To Kill a Mockingbird, focusing mainly on Atticus Finch and comparing him to Bob Ewell. Furthermore, the quotes and analyzes presented are taken from the first mass edition of To Kill a mockingbird, printed in December 1982. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Children are brought into the world with a fresh mind, comparable to a blank book. It is the duty of parents to raise their children and fill their books with wise words, life lessons and much more. Whether good or bad, parenting plays a huge role in how a child will turn out in the future. The phrase “The apple does not fall far from its tree”. couldn't be more accurate. Harper Lee presents this idea through the contrasting childhoods presented in the book. For starters, Harper Lee uses Atticus Finch's parenting style as her parenting base. Atticus Finch is the embodiment of the ideal parent, teaching his children racial equality, justice, and moral courage. Overall he is very humanitarian and progressive in his beliefs. In contrast to the spirit of the time – which forced children to obey by using spanking as punishment – ​​Atticus is far ahead of his time, using conversation to gain mutual respect and understanding. Atticus practices what he preaches, which makes him a just and honorable man. The children refer to their father by his real name, Atticus, who accepts it because it marks them as his equals. The boys respect Atticus a lot, however, they still tend to overstep the boundaries; for example when they went to court without Atticus's permission. This is partly intentional, according to Atticus' parenting philosophy; children need to be able to see the world through their own eyes. This would explain why Atticus allows Jem to join him in informing Helen Robinson of Tom Robinson's death. When Uncle Jack intervenes following a conflict between Scout and her cousin, he is eager to place the blame on Scout. However, Scout tells him to listen to his side of the story before throwing a party, "Well, you never stopped to give me a chance to tell you my side of the story in the first place." The situation has changed; now little Scout became the one giving the lecture. He shows clear signs of maturation by putting his father's wise words into practice. Also, when Jem receives a gun as a birthday present, Atticus makes an observation: One day Atticus said to Jem, "I'd rather you shoot the cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go bird hunting. Shoot all the cans." blue jays you want, if you can hit them, but remember that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.[…] “Your father is right,” he said, “Thrushes do nothing but make music for our entertainment […] but they sing at the top of their lungs to us. This is why it is a sin to kill a thrush. "In this quote, the thrush symbolizes an innocent life, which does not cause any harm to anyone. The moral of the quote is therefore not to kill for its own sake.Nearing the end of the book, Scout applies this lesson to Boo Radley. He realizes that Boo is also like an innocent mockingbird and therefore his life, despite his crime, should be spared: 'Well, it would be a bit like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it?'. To protect her mockingbird, Boo Radley, from unwanted attention, Scout realizes they can't report Bob Ewell's death as a homicide. Throughout Jem and Scout's childhood, Atticus remained true to the standards he instilled in his children. On this occasion Atticus clearly found himself faced with a dilemma. Initially, before realizing Bob Radley, Atticus became convinced that his son Jem had committed the murder. On the one hand he wanted to protect his son from the law, but on the other hand he didn't want his parenting to be in vain; up until that point he had always lived up to the life lessons he had taught Jem and Scout. Conniving with the law and his beliefs to save Jem would make him a hypocrite. Atticus explains this in the following quote: If this thing is hushed up it will be a simple denial to Jem of the way I tried to raise him. Sometimes I think I'm a total failure as a parent, but I'm all they have. Before Jem looks at anyone else, he looks at me, and I've tried to live so that I can look at him directly [...] if I were conniving in something like that, frankly I couldn't meet his gaze, and the day I won't be able to do so I will know I have lost it. Harper Lee probably wants to point out that no lesson or belief is universal or rock-solid; sometimes it may be necessary to break the law. Knowing that Bob Radley committed the crime, Atticus is once again faced with a similar dilemma. To Atticus' delight, Scout exceeds her father's expectations by understanding the situation, thus demonstrating how much she has matured. Jem also shows signs of maturation throughout the book. He always respected his father's words, except the situation outside the prison when Atticus was threatened by a mob. Atticus asks Jem to accompany his sister home, but he refuses, noting the gravity of the terrible situation. He doesn't want to leave his father's side. Judging from the following quote, Jem is used to obeying his father. But this time he didn't, showing a lot of courage and complex thinking. We were used to soliciting […] instructions from Atticus, but from his attitude Jem didn't think he would budge. "Go home, I said." (said Atticus) Jem shook his head. Jem and Scout both transform from bold caterpillars into two kind-hearted individuals, so Atticus' mission as a parent is clearly successful. In Bob Ewell's case, Harper Lee described him as a terrible parent. Shows a self-centered and malevolent personality. He spends almost all of his money financing his alcohol abuse. Repeatedly throughout the book, when he meets Ewell, he is almost always drunk. Unlike Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, who constantly battles her addiction to morphine, Bob Ewell makes no effort to quit his addiction. He is the father of seven children, to whom he shows no love or attention; parental duties are left to the eldest daughter Mayella. Without authentic parenting, Bob obviously sets a bad example, which is reflected in his children. Locally, the Ewells are famous for trout and only show up to school once in a blue moon. On the first day of school, Bob's son Burris Ewell insults and disrespects his teacher, calling her a "snotty bitch of a teacher" leaving her in tears. Burris clearly shares many attributes with his impulsive and rude father. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get an essay.