The incident of the mad dog in Chapter 10 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is important because it gives the reader a chance to see the fearlessness of Atticus's character, as well as his tenacity to uphold his moral principles.
Chapter 10 opens with Scout complaining about Atticus's character. She informs the reader that both she and Jem saw him as "feeble," due to his age--"nearly fifty." As a result of his age, Atticus does not do anything interesting such as play tackle football. Even his job is boring. In the eyes of Scout, Atticus doesn't do anything worthy of praise:
Our father didn't do anything. He worked in an office, not a drugstore. Atticus did not drive a dump-truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone. (Ch. 10)
What's more, Atticus doesn't even do the things the fathers of their classmates do such as hunt, fish, play poker, drink, or smoke. Yet, the events that follow in Chapter 10 give the children a chance to see their father in a new light.
When Sheriff Tate and Atticus arrive at the news of a mad dog on the street, the sheriff carrying his rifle, they are not surprised to see Atticus encourage Sheriff Tate to shoot the dog as soon as it comes into shooting range. However, they are surprised to see Sheriff Tate hand the rifle to Atticus and say, "Take him, Mr. Finch." At first Atticus refuses, but Sheriff Tate reminds him it is a "one-shot job." Since the dog is standing in front of the Radleys' gate, a misfired bullet could wind up in the Radleys' house, and Sheriff Tate knows he can't shoot as well as Atticus. Soon enough, Atticus relents, and Scout and Jem feel they are "in a fog" as they watch their father "walk out into the middle of the street," swiftly take aim, and shoot the dog.
Later, Miss Maudie explains that the reason why he gave up shooting and never speaks of his talent of marksmanship is because he realized "God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things."
Hence, this instance tells us several things about Atticus's character. First, it tells he is an extremely brave man. Second, it tells us he has a deep respect for life, even the life of a dog. His deep respect for life is what made him refuse to take the shot at first. His deep respect for life is also what drives him to put his all into defending Tom Robinson. Third, the incident tells us that Atticus is willing to set aside his principles and reservations for the sake of the greater good, such as protecting his entire neighborhood, just as he is able to act to protect Robinson by defending him.
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