Atticus Finch is a well known and well respected lawyer in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the novel, we often find Atticus portraying his strong since of morality and justice. Because of his penetrating intelligence, wisdom, and exemplary behavior, Atticus is respected by every person in the town, including; the poor, rich, colored people, and small children as well. He functions as the moral backbone of Maycomb, a person to whom all others turn in times of doubt and trouble. Atticus unmistakably falls into a level six in Lawrence Kohlberg's Levels and Stages of Moral Development. He stands rigidly committed to justice and is undoubtedly willing to view matters from the perspectives of others. He does not develop in the novel, but retains qualities of equal measure, making him the novel's moral guide and voice of conscience. .
From the beginning Atticus shows us his level of intellectual and moral advice: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."(Lee 30). Atticus's extraordinary high level of Kohlberg's theory shows here, he can not only reach out to the adults of Maycomb with his sound judgment, but the children of Maycomb as well. He explains to her that you have to see both sides of things, not only through your eyes, but theirs as well. This is a crucial piece of moral advice that Atticus gives Scout that she will grow on throughout the novel. Towards the end of the novel, Atticus shows his high level of moral development and ability to put the dangerous events that had occurred within the past few days behind and still be a loving father to Scout and Jem: .
"When they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any of those things . Atticus, he was real nice." His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.
