Courage in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Atticus is guarding the jailhouse to make sure no one hurts Tom Robinson before his trial, when he is approached by Walter Cunningham and his fellow goons. Atticus shows his bravery by standing his ground for what he believes is right in front of his son. When Scout lashes out to her father’s side, Jem holds onto her and tries to stop her from interfering. Then Jem refuses to go home and stands up for his father’s side although the odds were against them, while trying to protect his sister from harm. In page 152, chapter 15, Scout says, “... but from the way he stood, Jem was not thinking of budging.” This shows us that Jem has matured from the boy who would do anything if dared, to a young man who can barricade his emotions and proceed with reason in difficult situations.

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (149). To Kill A Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee, it shows how two children, Jem and Scout, grow up in the town of Maycomb. Within the town of Maycomb, the people in there hate blacks and usually treated them differently, but their father Atticus tries to defend Tom Robinson who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white girl. In the book, Harper Lee illustrates courage in many different ways, but the one character that stands out to me is Jem. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird portrays the form of moral courage through Jem even as an adolescent.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless novel that has been both accepted and refused by many readers. To Kill a Mockingbird took place is a town called Maycomb. It is narrated by a young girl named Jean Louise Finch, otherwise known as Scout, who learns how to deal with many things in her life. While learning to deal with racism, injustice, and criticism, she also finds courage being showed by many of her role models. The theme courage is best depicted through Boo Radley, Scout and Atticus.

"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.

Through the eyes of an innocent child, the story of To Kill a Mockingbird introduces a world of corruption. In the disordered town of Maycomb, certain character traits are developed and displayed in a specific local family. The opposition against their beliefs brings daunting situations to their door. Yet, this one family perseveres through the continuous corruption of Maycomb. Therefore, this recurring motif of character development really plays into the characters and, consequently, the story. This evident pattern of courage composes the Finch family: Jem, Scout, and Atticus.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper uses the character of Atticus to explain that real courage derives from believing in good morals despite the criticisms of society. Atticus explains to Jem that Mrs. Dubose, despite judging Atticus’ decisions in defending Tom Robinson’s innocence, has just as much courage as him, and she passes away with no remorse or regret for the decisions she makes throughout her life, just as Atticus plans to do. Atticus makes this clear to Jem, “She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe… I wanted you to see what real courage is… It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what… According to her views, she dies beholden to nothing and

Dubose who struggles to beat her morphine addiction before she died. He wanted to show his son what true courage was, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. ?It?s when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.? (Page 112) In addition, Atticus is a perfect role model. He demonstrates a strong sense of bravery by refusing to carry a gun to protect Tom Robinson from angry farmers. ? ?After all, though,? I said, ?he was the deadest shot in the county one time. He could?? ?You know he wouldn?t carry a gun, Scout. He ain?t even got one?? said Jem. ?You know he didn?t even have one down at the jail that night. He told me havin? a gun around?s an invitation to somebody to shoot you.? ? (Page 217) As a result, Jem stood up and refused to leave his father during the showdown with the farmers at the jailhouse.

Like how Atticus teaches Scout courage by taking Tom’s case and not listening to what other people are saying about him as the trial is going on. There is one time when he showed courage when the mob was looking for Tom and Atticus stayed with him all night. When the mob shows up one of the men asks, “He is,” said Atticus, “and he’s asleep. “Don't wake him up.” (Lee,151) After they leave Tom asks is they are gone and Atticus says yes and to go to bed. Jem is the second. During the same night Jem hears his dad leaving the house late at night so he follows him and wants to help his dad no matter

Courage - according to the Oxford Dictionary courage is: the ability to do something that frightens one; bravery. OR: Strength in the face of pain or grief. In To Kill a Mockingbird acts of courage help us, as the audience, to understand the characters better.

Atticus is the town’s most respected lawyer. He is not wealthy, but he is well off in the community and is very kind towards everyone. As a single parent, he faces the world, raising his two children with his maid, Calpurnia, who experiences better conditions and responsibilities than other African Americans of her time, due to Atticus’ beliefs. He has a reputation for being an open-minded, fair man, and a unique personality that is overflowing with honesty. He has been assigned a case of defending a black man who is apparently accused of rape. Now Atticus is both loved and unloved by the townspeople. Since they live in the South during the 1930’s, Atticus gives a lot of advice to his children, Scout and Jem. Atticus tells Scout and Jem that they should not say anything about a person especially when they do not know that person. Atticus describes what he means in a quote “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around it”(Lee 39). Atticus defends a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a girl. Atticus has the confidence and the courage to defend Tom and prove that he is innocent. Scout does not believe that her father is nice enough or has the courage to defend Tom. Atticus proves that

“I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” (112). Atticus emphasizes to his kids. Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill A MockingBird, writes about a black man raping a white woman while Atticus Finch, father of Scout (Jean Louise) and Jem, defends the black man in court. In the coming of age scene where Atticus stands up to the men at the jail, Scout comes of age as she begins to understand courage. The theme of courage is developed by Lee’s use of characterization and point-of-view in the novel.

Atticus looks at Mrs. Dubose differently than everyone, he sees a lady who had a difficult life and wants to die unaddicted to morphine as a testament to her courage. She had the kids read to her every day because she needed a distraction from the addictive drug. She wanted to lie freely from the drug and that is the type of courage that Atticus was talking about. In the end, she battled her addiction and Jem and Scout had a space of them in her heart when she passed by giving them a camellia.

“Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success”- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. What is courage or being courageous? Courage has many different meanings to many different people. I think courage means brave; or something one person does that no one else would.

J.F. Clarke once wrote, “The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience.” Bravery takes in many forms and it usually involves the qualities of a lack of fear in physical dangers. Although for Clarke, bravery is shown through a person’s conscience, the ability to discern right from wrong and act upon that. This means that the most courageous people are the ones who follow their morals, and disregard what others might say. This quote proves to be true in the historical fiction, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Atticus Finch and Calpurnia are the characters that reveal that a man’s willingness to follow their conscience despite the consequences is what truly makes him brave. In the novel, Lee uses characterization to

There are many courageous characters that deserve recognition in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Each character from the book develops in different ways throughout the story, showing their potential to become a mockingbird figure. In To Kill A Mockingbird the mockingbird figure is described as someone or something who is innocent and harmless, and is only used for good intentions. This symbol is for a character who always looks out for others and is honest. In the book, the mockingbirds are Dill, Mayella, Mr. Raymond, Jem, Tom, and Boo.