Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) — Universal Pictures [Public domain]

The changing of ideologies in a society are often slow and met with backlash. When progression requires people to abandon their preconceived notions or current stability, many will fight these changes. In these times, the charge for progression is often led by the few instead of the many.

Martin Luther King Jr.

When these movements are considered just and moral in the coming ages, the ones who lead the charge will likely be regarded as heroes. Examples of such heroes can be seen throughout history.

Martin Luther King Jr. leading the March on Washington.

Mahatma Gandhi being an inspiration to civil rights movements across the world through his nonviolent protests.

Abraham Lincoln leading the American nation through its civil war in hopes of freeing the enslaved.

Thomas Paine influencing the Thirteen Colonies to secede from the tyrannical British rule.

These individuals understood the changes many people wished to see but refused to pursue. The fortitude in their beliefs was mightier than any ramifications that might have come their way. It is one thing to imagine a society that enacts the moral changes you want to see, but it is another to lead the charge. Another idealist that follows suit in these same heroic actions is Atticus Finch.

A Mockingbird

Atticus Finch is a character from Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird. Loosely inspired by her childhood, the novel takes place in 1930's Alabama. After being falsely accused of raping a white woman, the black man, Tom Robinson, is put to trial with Atticus Finch as his lawyer. Finch is a man that holds his moral code above all else. Despite his fellow townsfolk strongly advising against him taking the case, lest he be shunned for openly defending a black man, Finch saw through their archaic ways. Where they saw immorality, he saw a man of equal rights who deserved the same treatment as anyone else. When told of how his peers looked down upon his decision, Finch responded,

They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions… but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.

At surface level, one might be confused as to why Finch is distinguished as such a hero. After all, it is not as if he has ventured into the Gorgon’s cave to fetch the head of Medusa or trekked all of Middle Earth to save humanity from a seemingly inevitable corruption. Despite this, the American Film Institute declared Finch the greatest on screen hero of all time. He surpassed the likes of Indiana Jones, Superman, and Obi Wan Kenobi. How could this be?

Perseus holding the head of the Gorgon: Medusa

The admiration people see in Finch comes from his simplicity. Finch doesn’t possess some innate gift that gives him strength in times of need. He was not born with the ability to fly nor was he given some winged sandals from Hermes. The hero that Finch represents is completely attainable to anyone who he inspires and therein lies the power he holds.

Hogwarts from Harry Potter

When we see Harry Potter standing face to face with Voldemort, we can appreciate the courage and strength it takes, but we do not have to uphold ourselves to his standards since we don’t possess his magical abilities. Watching Finch stand firm in his beliefs in front of a town of disapproving peers, despite whatever may come his way, demonstrates the heroic actions any of us can take. He is a representation that the average man can rise above the rest if only he possesses the will to be a better man. Most of us know that we can and should be better people and Finch shows us that it’s possible. He sets the bar that we should all strive to reach.

Typically, one does not become a hero by bettering themselves alone. They must go into the abyss of the unknown, become enlightened by what they learn, and return to their homeland to help influence their brethren. Bruce Wayne must return to save Gotham with his newfound abilities just as Odysseus must make his final return and assert himself as King of Ithaca. As Joseph Campbell writes in The Hero With A Thousand Faces,

When the hero-quest has been accomplished, through penetration to the source, or through the grace of some male or female, human or animal personification, the adventurer still must return with his life-transmuting trophy. The full round, the norm of the monomyth, requires that the hero shall now begin the labor of bringing the runes of wisdom, the Golden Fleece, or his sleeping princess back into the kingdom of humanity, where the boon may redound to the renewing of the community, the nation, the planet, or the ten thousand worlds.

This idea is demonstrated in Plato’s The Republic. In it, Plato’s spokesperson, Socrates, paints a picture of people trapped in a cave for their entire lives. All they can see are shadows on the wall illuminated by a distant fire. These shadows are all they know and are their basis for understanding the world. When one prisoner happens to find his way to freedom, he is enlightened by the mysticalness of the world outside. He sees all of the things those shadows had represented. In an effort to share his enlightenment with his old peers, he eventually returns to the cave. Upon return, our traveler can no longer navigate through the darkness of his old home. As his eyes finally adjusted, he tries to explain the world, beyond the cave, that he experienced.

In our pursuits to better ourselves, we often become enlightened (or at least believe ourselves to be) in one way or another. If we never return to our community or nation to share our newfound beliefs, we have gained very little. The Finch’s of the world are the ones who escape their bonds. They travel outside the cave of society and enlighten themselves by seeing the world as it could be. They soon realize that this world is not worth experiencing alone so they return from whence they came. They understand that the only benefit to bettering yourself is when you take your understandings and share it with the ones around you.

They also realize that, upon arrival, one must be understanding of the people who did not share their experiences. When our cave dwelling escapee returned to his once home, he was met with unwelcomeness. His old brethren were not accepting of his new views. They resented his beliefs and eventually plotted to kill him. While it can be easy to blame the cave dwellers for their ignorance or rashness, it would be doing them a disservice. After all, the prisoners did not ask to be born into such a place. We are all the products of the circumstances that were brought upon us. As Finch explains,

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.

Despite the open mindedness of certain individuals, it can often feel like society as a whole progresses slowly. Whether you are asking your fellow men to cast away their preconceived notions lest they sentence an innocent man to death or are just leading the charge of changing social ideals, standing strong against the rippling tide of society requires an act of courage and resilience that few possess. Finch speaks to the jury in his final appeal,

Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.

In the same sense, a society is no better than the individuals of which it is comprised. Don’t wait along for the Atticus Finch’s of the world to uphold your ideals for you. The few who lead the charge should be the ideals by which we hold ourselves to. Although we likely won’t face such drastic difficulties the likes of which MLK, Gandhi, Lincoln, or Paine faced, there will always be times when our moral obligations are put to the test. If we are to take the responsibility into our own hands, perhaps we can be the change we want to see and become the hero Atticus Finch represents.