He's a Christ Figure

There are Christ figures everywhere in literature. One character that sticks out to me as a Christ figure is Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Sure, he was never crucified or employed as a carpenter. He never died and rose again, but he possessed many Christ like qualities.

Atticus was very self-sacrificing. Atticus, a white man, defended Tom Robinson, an African American, in a court case in the early 1900s when racial segregation was still widely prominent. No other white man in this time would do anything for an African American, so by being Tom's lawyer Atticus showed that he cared for others more than he cared for himself. He didn't sacrifice his life for Tom, but he did sacrifice his reputation as a lawyer and as a human being to try to give Tom justice.

Atticus was also good with children. He was a single dad raising his two kids, and he always seemed to know the right thing to say. Whenever Scout or Jem had a problem they would go to Atticus seeking advice or comfort and he always came through. The kids loved their father because he showed so much love for them.

Atticus was portrayed with arms outstretched...well, not literally. He didn't always have his arms outstretched, inviting everyone in, but his attitude was that everyone was equal and everyone should be treated with compassion, so it seemed that he could have his arms outstretched. He had compassion for everyone and everything. Even in the days of the trial he did not judge his opposing side. He taught his kids that you can't judge someone because you don't know what their life is really like. He lived his life everyday with this mindset.

Atticus is not Christ by any means, but his heart and many of his actions portray the actions of Jesus Christ.