The Dignity of Atticus Fitch

My wife and I watched the classic movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" last night. If you haven't seen it or haven't seen it in a while, then do yourself a major favor and rent it this summer. There's so many incredible messages in the movie and even more in the book. I wanted to point out two points that really stuck with me, the first is the dignity of Atticus Fitch's poverty. In the very beginning of the movie, Scout asked her dad, "Atticus are we poor?", to which he responds, "we most certainly are,". He works for the local courthouse, so he clearly doesn't have a lot of money. But that is not his focus, his children and his work are his focus. Its sad in our culture that we attribute happiness to wealth, or greatness to how much we have, or how comfortable we are. Hollywood did the world a tremendous service with a character like Atticus Fitch, because he shows for our eyes, that greatness comes from the truth in love, not from money.

The second point is done in such an artistic way, that I have to admit being dumbstruck by its brilliance. How much son's want greatness from their fathers, and here's the good news, how our son's will measure greatness has nothing to do with money. It will have to do with the amount of times we choose to be strong, even when it hurts. There's a beautiful scene at the start of the film, when Atticus is sitting by himself on the porch swing, and his children are talking in their beds before falling asleep, Scout asks her brother, "was mom pretty?" Atticus over hears the conversation, as he rocks slowly by himself on the swing. Here is a man that has made a choice to stand in the gap for his children, even though its incredibly lonely and painfully, he doesn't leave them.

The final courtroom scene has probably released enough tears over the past 50 + years to cause major flooding through-out the world, as the entire black community is gathered in the loft of the courthouse, and as Atticus prepares to walk out, everyone stands to let him pass. His daughter is laying down from being tired, and the Reverend finally says, "please stand, your father is passing," Trust me, do yourself a favor and rent this movie this summer.