Theme Of Bravery In To Kill A Mockingbird

"I wanted to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun." What kinds of heroism and courage are shown in To Kill a Mockingbird? Discuss.

Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that is prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others. When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual.

To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses memorable characters to illustrate racism in the segregated Southern United States in the 1930s. The novel is told through the eyes of Scout Finch, you learn about Atticus Finch, her father, an attorney who hopelessly perseveres to prove the innocence of a black man cruelly accused of rape.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows the racism and prejudice that occurs in America during the Jim Crow era. The story is told by Scout who grows up noticing how unfair the world can be. It takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, when blacks were commonly discriminated against. Throughout this book the reader is reminded of how a little courage goes a long way. The theme for To Kill A Mockingbird is courage because Jem, Atticus, and Ms Dubose demonstrate courageous acts throughout the novel.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic story of growing up, racial discrimination, and symbolism. Harper Lee has written a story that has gone down in history and will never be forgotten. In To Kill A Mockingbird, a six-year-old girl Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, narrates a story about her young life in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama. Her brother Jem Finch and friend Dill try to meet the secluded and mysterious neighbor. Meanwhile, her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer that takes on a case in hopes of claiming the innocence of a young black man accused of rape. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses symbolism as a literary device to compare Tom Robinson and Boo Radley to 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” (112). According to Atticus Finch, a wise honourable lawyer in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. True courage is standing up for what one believes in until the very end. Atticus faces multiple occasions where he must choose between just and justice such as his disposition to defend Tom Robinson and contradict his morals. Scout, through her brave actions, overcomes her age boundary.

Bravery and courage are necessities to survive the unforgiving events Maycomb gives in to Kill a Mockingbird. In this story, the residents of Maycomb endure a plethora of tough times and a series of mysteries and murders that leave the people shocked. The characters in this book must have courage and bravery to stay strong, despite the tragedies happening in the town around them. In to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many acts of bravery and courage are shown throughout the novel by Boo Radley, Miss Maudie, and Atticus.

As Atticus declares in his closing argument, “...there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal...that institution, gentlemen, is a court”( Lee 233). The courthouse is a place residing in the affairs of two opposing sides defending what is right in their eyes and an outcome that could reveal the true mentality of society. In the story, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee utilizes characters and conflicts in order to illustrate the themes of courage, racial prejudice, and coming of age.

The first theme that parallels can be drawn from is prejudice. Prejudice against minorities plays a big part in To Kill A Mockingbird, as it is the reason for the outcome of Tom Robinson’s trial and the mistreatment of many African Americans in the novel. Due to the town's prejudice, Tom Robinson was found guilty for a crime he didn’t commit and it ultimately cost him his life. Prejudice also caused many African Americans to be treated as secondary citizens. They were often verbally abused by people like

• Calpurnia’s act of courage shows when she takes Jem and Scout to First Purchase African M.E. Church. In my point of view I think Calpurnia did a courageous act because not knowing what could happen to Jem and Scout she still took the risk of taking them. Once they got there a member from First Purchase African M.E. Church named Lula disliked them because they were white “Lula stopped, but she said, ‘You ain’ t got no business bringin’ white chillun here – they got their church we got our’n.’’(119) This quote shows courage as well as prejudice. It makes the kids feel unwelcome and make them want to leave.

Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” exemplifies how the concepts of courage, as well as fear, are used as catalysts for the actions of Maycomb’s citizens to achieve an objective. Throughout the novel, it is seen that true courage is only achieved by overcoming fear. For example, Atticus’ determination to ameliorate Tom Robinson’s strife exists because at one point in the novel, Atticus felt Tom Robinson was in grave danger from a lynch mob wanting to kill him. Mrs Dubose’s fear of not being able to be rid of her morphine addiction sparked an overwhelming desire to do so, and consequently, she faced much adversity in her last moments of life. On the other hand, there are other cases where courage is not the objective at all.

Martin Luther King Jnr. once stated, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” This statement perfectly portrays the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. These characters are: Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, Arthur (Boo) Radley, and Scout Finch. The themes in this novel are racism, justice, social expectations and corruption, these themes can be seen through the racist attitudes towards Tom Robinson, the unjust decision to charge Tom Robinson as guilty because of his race, the expectation of scout to be feminine and wear dresses and how they corrupt the law by acting upon their feelings not knowledge.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tries to portray that the main characters have courage and stand up for what they believe in, not what others believe in. Harper Lee wrote the book to show that the inequalities that the characters were facing in order to educate the readers about the differences from back in the 1930s to the present. Standing up to your peers requires someone to have fortitude just like when Jem and Scout stand up for what they think is just. When Miss Caroline asks Walter if he has money for lunch, Scout tells her “You’re shaming him Miss Caroline” (28), in an effort to explain Walter’s predicament. Scout is the kind of person that does not try to change who she is to fit others expectations of her but stays true to herself.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is about a young girl named Scout and her brother, Jem, and the challenges they face in Alabama in the 1930s. Scout, Jem, and many other characters in this book learn more about the town and the people, including themselves. There are many themes that the author develops throughout the story. Some of these themes include love, sacrifice, prejudice, and fairness. Atticus illustrates the theme of courage in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird by defending Tom Robinson, and shooting the mad dog in the street.

“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.