Essay on Analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Courage is shown within the characters of To Kill A Mockingbird in several situations.  The characters are challenged to face danger or pain without fear.  The courage they display gives them strength and deepens their self-understanding as the novel progresses.

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is set in a small Southern United States community called Maycomb during the Great Depression era. The whole book primarily revolves around segregation and racism and how it relates to Maycomb’s history. It eventually leads to the trial of Tom Robinson where he is accused of beating up and raping Mayella Ewell. Even though it was clear that Tom Robinson did not do anything wrong he was convicted by an all white jury simply because he was black. The trial of Tom Robinson and its verdict shows an example of how segregation in the court system prevents fair trials from occurring.

Jem and Scout, throughout “To Kill A Mockingbird,” learn to consider things from other people’s perspectives. Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father, says “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in” (Lee 39). They learn this through experiences with their neighbor Boo Radley as they mature beyond their years. At the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout make fun of Boo and assume that all of the rumors going around about him are true. However, later on in the story the children grow an admiration for Boo and learn to understand him. As they matured, Jem and Scout naturally learned many life lessons of appreciation, respect, and courage

Courage can be shown in many different ways. Some people have a hard time of showing it while others do not. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird courage is shown through the characters of Jem and Atticus. These two characters show their courage in many different ways.

Towards the beginning of the book, Scout and her brother, Jem, would never have seen Boo Radley as a brave person. To them, all he did was hide in his house, anxious and alone. But by the end of the book he did show courage. When Scout and Jem were being attacked y Bob Ewell, Boo came out of his hiding to defend two helpless children from a dangerous drunk man. He could have stayed safely inside his home but instead protected

"Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory." ~John Maxwell. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch), and Atticus Finch display acts of valor that contribute, and in some cases encourage their rectitude. Harper Lee demonstrates that acting courageously can lead to an improved, sustained, or newly developed personal integrity.

I believe that Atticus shows plenty of courage throughout the book because he takes on the case of defending the African American man this is being accused of raping one of the Ewell girls. Atticus knew he would be frowned upon for defending a black man, but he takes the case anyways because he knows it’s the right thing to do. I also believe that Jem and Scout show courage more than others. Jem had to show courage when going over to Mrs.Dubose’s house. He did not like Mrs.Dubose and he did not want to go read to her every day. Scout showed courage in this instance as well because she decided to go with Jem, even though she did not have to. The children were scared to go into Mrs.Dubose’s house. In the book, Jem says, “Atticus, it’s all right on the sidewalk but inside it’s-it’s all dark and creepy. There’s shadows and things on the ceiling….” Although the children hated Mrs.Dubose, they went to read to her almost everyday

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a fictional novel that was published in the 1960’s. It tells the tale of a young girl named Scout, and her family who live in Alabama in the 1930’s where blacks still do not have equal rights. A black man is on trial for the supposed rape of a young lady, Mayella Ewell, and one courageous lawyer, Atticus Finch, the father of Scout, decides to prove his innocence even though the odds are stacked against him. In the novel courage is defined by a quote that states, “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyways and you see it through no matter what…” (Lee, 149).

Throughout Part 1 of the book, the children made countless attempts to see Boo. Boo had courage in the beginning of the book because he let the kids be fascinated by him. Mr. Radley knew what they were doing, but never stopped them. The most crystal clear part of the book where it shows Boo having courage is when the children are attacked by Mr. Bob Ewell. For Boo to protect those kids, leave his house, and be in the spotlight for the Sheriff and Atticus, shows exceptional courage in many ways.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is defined as not giving up in times of despair and discrimination. During the entire novel Jem faces both despair and discrimination. When Tom Robinson was murdered, Jem was devastated and bewildered, and he knew the fight to equality was over. Even though there were obstacles in his ways, he kept his ground and his beliefs.

Atticus is going up against all of the odds. Atticus shows courage through standing up against the standard of society. A black man could have never won against a white man. Atticus knows that the case could harm his reputation as a lawyer and a man, but is courageous enough to attempt to give Tom Robinson justice. As a final point, Atticus shows his courage through raising two children as a single parent. Atticus is what the children look up to. When Heck is trying to prove Bob Ewell fell on his knife, Atticus says this about his kids, “Sometimes I think I’m a total failure as a parent, but I’m all they’ve got. Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I’ve tried to live so I can look squarely back at him…” (Lee 273). Atticus tells Heck that raising his kids by himself is hard. He always has to set the perfect example for his children because he wants them to be successful. Atticus has to be courageous at any challenge his kids present him. He is their role model. Atticus shows her courage by being his kids hero, and the perfect father through horrible

Courage is the ability to do something that frightens someone, it is what makes ordinary people extraordinary. The strength in the face of pain or grief, but most importantly “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and, see it throughout no matter what”- Harper Lee. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the theme of courage is well shown throughout. In a small town of Maycomb, Alabama, Jem and Scout experience growing up in an unfair world affected with racism. Atticus is the town’s finest lawyer, having two children Jem and Scout who show courage with one another and towards each other. Boo Radley is known as an evil person in the town. Harper Lee displays courage as standing up for what one believes in, even when it means getting into trouble. The display of courage in To Kill a Mockingbird is shown through many of the main characters such as Atticus Finch, Boo Radley and Jem and Scout

Courage is the quality of mind that enables one to face danger with confidence, resolution, and gain a firm control of oneself. Many of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird showed courage in their own way. Courage can come in many different forms: physical, mental, emotional and moral. Courage is not the only main theme displayed in To Kill a Mockingbird; prejudice and education are also very important themes exhibited throughout the progression of the novel. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, a bright, sensitive and intelligent little girl, these themes of the novel are explored in great depth.

The book "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a story of life in an Alabama town in the 30's. The narrator, Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, is writing of a time when she was young, and the book is in part the record of a childhood, believed to be Harper Lee’s, the author of the book..

Critical Review of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the 1930's in a small, isolated