Atticus himself doesn't explain why he is not proud of his shooting ability, so our best explanation comes from Miss Maudie. Once Jem and Scout see Atticus's uncanny shooting ability, she explains that when he was a boy, his nickname was "Ol' One Shot," because he was such a dead shot. She explains that Atticus is "civilized in his heart." Shooting ability, she explains, is a natural gift--"a gift of God"--although you have to practice to make it perfect. Miss Maudie guesses that Atticus "put down his gun when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things."
Atticus wants life to be fair, even while he understands on a visceral level that it is not. This helps us understand why he take Tom Robinson's case, even when he knows he cannot win. The only way to beat the system--eventually, some day--is to keep trying to make it fair.
No comments:
Post a Comment