In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Atticus attempt to fix the problems he sees in Maycomb?
Even though Atticus is from one of Maycomb's oldest and most important families, he refuses to follow the example of prejudice and intolerance that most of Maycomb exhibits. In Maycomb, Atticus sees citizens who are often unable to tolerate each other and who treat each other with disdain. Atticus attempts to change things in Maycomb by being an example of how all people should treat each other. It is in the way he lives his life, that Atticus attempts to be a catalyst of change in Maycomb.
Although To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a time of racial discontent, the story is also one of good versus evil across all racial boundaries. Atticus, a white lawyer, takes on the defense of a black man accused of raping a white woman, knowing that the majority of the white towns people will persecute him. Despite the possibility of danger to his family, Atticus is steadfast in his defense of the black man. In the face of opposition and danger when the townspeople protest his defense, Atticus provides the town with an example of goodness and integrity.