How Does Harper Lee Present the Theme of Courage in to Kill a Mockingbird

According to Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." (Lee, 128) No matter how you define it, Harper Lee definitely portrays the theme of courage in this book. It is one of the most predominant themes and is shown in many of the characters.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a book about courage to what extent do you agree with this?

Courage is defined as "the quality of mind or spirit enabling one to meet danger or opposition with fearlessness." According to Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." (pg.121). Harper Lee clearly portrays the theme of courage in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. One likes to think of a hero, as strong, brave, and meeting all challenges head on. All the characters in this book have a different view as to what courage

Courage is conveyed through the characters’ actions in the book To Kill A Mockingbird and the movie The Help. Atticus from To Kill A Mockingbird is a white, Southern lawyer in Maycomb County, Alabama. He adamantly defends Tom Robinson, a negro who had allegedly raped a white woman, even knowing that his prejudiced county would convict him. This exemplifies courage because a white man to seeking equality for a black man was not accepted in their time period, a place of extreme racial segregation. Yet, Atticus defended Tom already knowing that he will lose. In The

An example where courage is shown is when Atticus explains to Jem and Scout that the dying Mrs. Dubose displayed “real courage” and his children are puzzled because Mrs. Dubose said awful statements about Atticus. On page 116, Atticus says, “‘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.” This is an example of courage because Atticus is explaining to his children that courage isn’t always physically shown and can be shown in other ways than this. He is saying that Mrs. Dubose displayed courage just by not wanting to die a morphine addict and accomplishing this. This act shows “real courage” because Mrs. Dubose depended on the morphine for so long and died the way she wanted to die. Even though Mrs. Dubose showed a different type of courage then a man with a gun in his hand, she still displayed immense courage and strength before she died, according to

One of the most important themes in the novel is courage is doing what is right even when the odds of succeeding are poor. Harper Lee uses the characters of Mrs. Dubose, Arthur (Boo) Radley, and Atticus Finch in developing this major theme. Mrs. Dubose show courage when she fights her addiction of morphine before she dies knowing she might not have been able to do it. The character of Arthur (Boo) Radley shows courage when he goes outside and fights Bob Ewell saving Jem and Scout. Finally the character of Atticus Finch also shows courage when he goes to trial for a black man against a white girl. Even though the novel is a work of fiction, we can see similar lessons about courage in our world today, which makes To Kill a Mockingbird an important

In today's society, courage is defined as the ability to succeed without changing who we are as a person or what we believe in hoot courage, justice is weak and society is corrupt. In Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "To Kill a Mockingbird', courage is presented through the characters Atticus Finch and Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose as they confront their issues and embrace life regardless of what others think. Harper Lee constructed her narrative during a time of prejudice and injustice against Black Americans; hence courage was vital to overcome the racial discrimination many faced Both Atticus and Mrs Dubose along with the crucial events in the novel teach Jean Louise Finch, as well as the audience, the significance of courage and create an understanding that courage exists in several forms, Courage is often seen as the physical bravery an individual can display in a fearful H ever, it is also when an individual knows there is no chance of winning, but continues to fight for what they believe in. Harper Lee constructs a masculine image of this type of courage through Atticus and his handling of the mad dog incident. When comparing Atticus to the other fathers in Maycomb, Jam and Scout think of him as old and feeble' though the mad dog occurrence reveals a side of him that had not yet been discovered by his children; that he was once the best marksman the town with the name of one shot Finch'. Heck Tate insists that Atticus should kill the diseased animal even though

Courage, as defined by Collins Dictionary, is “the quality shown by someone who decides to do something difficult or dangerous, even though they may be afraid”. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee has created many characters who exhibit such courage, even in the face of adversity, and develops this into a major theme. Atticus Finch, Arthur Radley, and other members of the Finch household and Maycomb community, display amazing courage in the things they say, but more importantly in the way they act. These characters all contribute to the novel’s theme of showing courage through adversity.

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Atticus Finch. This quote is proved to be true in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee as it demonstrates the true definition of courage. The book takes you along the journey of young girl, Scout Finch, during a time where colored people are thought less of. She experiences this first hand as her father, Atticus Finch, has been assigned to defend a colored man who has been accused of raping a white female. Scout along with her elder brother Jem, learn the definition of courage through some of the characters and how they act to the events that occur before and after the trial. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, many characters are great examples of trusting yourself when all odds are stacked against you. Throughout the novel the characters that display courage are Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.

Moreover, every other character in the story can be said to have courage, especially Atticus. The book revolves around Atticus and how he has no fear to defend a black man. Atticus is a lawyer that always had justice and never accepts injustice. He defends a black man named “Tom Robinson” who is accused of rapping a white girl whose own father had infact raped. “I’m simply defending a negro his name’s Tom Robinson” “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this country in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (Lee,100). These quotes show that Atticus is not afraid and is brave enough to hold his head up in town even if he defended Tom, an inferior in their society. It also shows how well educated and mature he is that he even connects his job to his kids and he always tries to be good to be the best in his kids’ eyes. He wanted his kids to get along with other people and for them to learn courage from them like Mrs. Dubose, for example.

Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is represented many times. Atticus represents courage when he takes the Tom Robinson case, stands up to Bob Ewell, and when he shoots Tim Johnson. Scout represents courage when she stands up for Walter, punches cousin Francis, and when she breaks up the mob. Boo Radley represents courage when he kills Bob Ewell, saves Scout and Jem, and strokes Jem. Courage is still very important because if we don’t have courage, then we won’t take risks. If we don’t take risks, then we won’t achieve

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.

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.

Courage can be defined in many different ways as shown by Anne Sexton’s “Courage” poem and Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Anne Sexton would say courage comes in small acts and in these small acts of courage is what teaches people how to find the strength within themselves to accept things the way they are. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, would argue that courage is perseverance and fighting till the end even though the battle has already been lost. This novel takes place around the 1930s, and is told through the eyes of Scout Finch. From her, one might learn about her father, Atticus Finch, an attorney who hopelessly aims to prove the innocence of a black man wrongly accused of rape. Both of these definitions, however, apply to three of the characters in the novel; Atticus represents both his definition and Anne Sexton’s, Scout represents Anne Sexton’s and Mrs. Dubose, an elderly woman addicted to morphine, represents Atticus’s.

Courage is strength. Courage is honesty. Courage is standing one’s ground no matter what. Courage is standing up for others. In Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem Finch, along with their father Atticus, live in Maycomb County, a small, mainly racist town in Alabama during the Great Depression. The Finch family’s neighbor, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus display acts of personal courage in the story. Specifically, Mrs. Dubose displays courage in her honesty and strength, and Atticus displays courage in his responses to racism based threats and keeping others safe.