When you
act against the vices of the dominant social order, you are only exhibiting
virtue if you know that the dominant social order is inflicting something that
is morally wrong. Otherwise you could commit a crime such as murder and call it
virtuous.
First off,
I am going to discuss the virtue expressed by Atticus Finch. During the time of
the book, there was strong racial segregation in the United States especially
in the southern states such as Alabama (where Maycomb County is located). Black
people were seen as inferior to white people, and whites were expected to treat
them as such. In this world it would be seen as unacceptable and wrong for a
white lawyer to defend a black man as passionately as Atticus did, even if that
black man was innocent. By doing just that, Atticus was putting both his
professional and personal reputation on the line, a dangerous move for both his
financial and physical safety. Atticus understood the dangers, but chose to
ignore the rules of social normality because he knew that it was the right
thing to do and that it was his duty as a lawyer and a citizen to defend Tom
Robinson. For Tom Robinson was a human being like anyone else in Maycomb and
Atticus knew that it would be unfair if he didn’t receive his fair trial. The
social order discouraged his behavior yet he chose to ignore it because he knew
that true virtue could only be achieved by acting against said social order.
Not only did he defend a black man, but Atticus was also one of the few people
of his time who believed in true equality. This is implied very heavily in the
long speech Atticus gave in the courtroom. I think Atticus is a prime example
of someone with a strong moral compass.
After
reading the book and being exposed to Boo Radley’s character, it was clear to
me that Boo Radley himself was abnormal. I came to this conclusion from the
facts that he is always kept inside during the day, and from how little he
speaks (only a couple of basic sentences). It never stated specifically what
his exceptionality was, but I would bet he was on the autism spectrum. At the
time when the novel was set, people with disabilities or exceptionalities like
Boo’s were frowned upon. They were often institutionalized, or hidden and
covered up like in Boo’s case. Due to his exceptionality and the fact that he
never left the house during the day, Boo would have obviously had a very
different view on the world than other residents of Maycomb. As I implied
above, in those days it would be the norm for people like Boo to avoid contact
with regular people. Boo stepped outside of the social order by rescuing Jem
and Scout from Bob Ewell. If he let the vices of the dominant social order
restrain him he would have simply ignored the situation and kept to himself. I think
it would be mighty difficult to argue that saving two children from a terrible
man wasn’t a virtuous act. Despite his very limited view on things, Boo seemed
to know what was right and did so in spite of the social order discouraging him
to do so.
By doing the
virtuous act of helping out a poor, abused, white girl, Tom Robinson acted
against the dominant social order, resulting in him expressing true virtue. At
the time of the book it would be seen as unacceptable for a black man and a
white woman to be alone together even if the black man was simply helping her
out with something like fixing a cabinet. Tom also had the audacity to feel
sorry for a white person, implying that she had it worse off than him at a time
when it was supposed to be the other way around. If he let the vices and
implications of the social order restrain him, he would have never committed
his virtuous act of entering the house to help this girl for whom he felt sorry.
These three
men are examples of brave people acting against the social order of the time,
leading the way for a brighter future. It was due to people like Atticus, Tom,
and Boo that things have changed as much, and as quickly as they have since.
