We could consider that Atticus Finch felt that his own dream of an equal, morally decent society was also heading in the wrong direction. This was a time when economic difficulties meant that the American Dream was receding further and further away. In the 1930s, when the book was set, America was in the midst of the Great Depression. Women's rights and black rights movements were beginning to emerge and some campaigned through violence. If you take 1960, when the book was written, America was in a state of ethical development as social inequality was - very - gradually being overcome. Being in itself a generic message, the idea of 'doing what's right' obviously has a different meaning depending on when and where you're reading the book. Even the titular quote: "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" is in itself an allegory for this message. To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on that gut instinct of right and wrong, and distinguishes it from just following the law.
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