Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

The word “courage” has many definitions. Some people say that courage is being able to face one's own fears, while others say that courage is a person with a strong heart. Harper Lee exhibits true courage as standing up for what one believes in even when it signifies imperilling something precious.

A significant representation of courage is seen within Atticus.  Within To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus speaks of the Tom Robinson trial as a trial all lawyers fear.  He must face a court case that will have a profound personal effect upon himself and his family.  Atticus summons the courage to recognize that there is a need for justice and that it is his duty to achieve this.  Maycomb is a town tainted with stereotypes and racism.  Atticus has the courage to overcome the fear of other peoples' dislike.  He must face the fear of straining the lives of his two young children and family name.  The courage Atticus embodies stems from his "satisfactory" character.  Atticus is righteous and unable to turn his back on those who truly rely upon his ability to show empathy.  He overcomes the heartless comments of those around them, to see the necessity of his involvement.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines courage as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird flawlessly fulfills this definition of courage by depicting everyday people carrying out acts of bravery in spite of their dangers, fears, or difficulties. To Kill a Mockingbird centers on Scout Finch and her experiences growing up in a small Alabama town during the Great Depression. Throughout the story, Scout’s wide-eyed view of society changes as she realizes other people’s morals do not coincide with her own ideals. Several variations of courage are shown throughout the book, including Atticus Finch’s defense of Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose’s decision to give up morphine, and Boo Radley’s rescue of Jem and Scout.

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.

When the word “courage” is presented, many different visions of it come to mind. Maybe fierce warriors riding in to battle, or perhaps world leaders, who have to speak in front of millions. People have different ideas of the word because there really are different definitions of it. But in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the main characters all share a similar idea of it, as portrayed by their actions and words throughout the book. This definition is the ability to do the right thing, even if it is dangerous or difficult. The characters who show courage include Boo Radley, Scout, and Atticus. Although they are very different characters including gender, age, and personality, their actions all portray a similar concept of courage.

The definition of courage according to the Canadian Dictionary is “the strength of mind to control fear and act firmly in the face of danger or difficulties. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, courage represents a different definition. It is said by the character Atticus Finch that courage is “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (ch. 11 pg. 128). Courage shines throughout the character's Aunt Alexandra, Arthur (Boo) Radley, and Atticus Finch. These three characters show the most courage because even through hard times they keep their ground and do not show any source of anger or fear.

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many of the book’s characters show courage. Courage is shown when a character stands up for their beliefs, even when they face heavy opposition. They decide to fight even when they know they will most likely lose, or even if they are the only one fighting. Courage is standing up for one’s beliefs, even if it means standing alone against the whole world. Three characters who show courage are Mrs. Dubose, Atticus Finch, and Arthur “Boo” Radley.

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

A remarkable American soldier and author named William T. Sherman once stated, “Courage, a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure It.” Going against what society says and sticking to your beliefs is an act of courage. In the realistic fiction novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, an average southern family, the Finches, fights against the racism of a small town. Harper Lee’s message is expressed by symbolism through the two characters Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, the bildungsroman of Scout, and the hero archetype of Atticus .Harper Lee portrays that courage should be shown through loyalty not popularity.

Courage is universally recognized by all men in every single culture, yet what it truly means is usually mixed up with physical strength or using an advantage no one else had to win. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, True courage is defined as fighting as hard as you can in a fight that may not be in your favor, or facing a situation you are terrified of. Through her character's, Lee shows this definition of courage. Atticus, Mrs. Dubose, and Arthur (Boo) Radley all show tremendous courage throughout the book by defending a dead man, beating an addiction, and preventing a murderer from stealing the lives of two innocent children.

What is courage? Courage is the ability to do something difficult even when there’s a risk. It’s not about bravery it’s about perseverance. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird Lee teaches readers about what real courage is from her perspective. A few examples are when Jem confuses courage with strength or when Mrs Dubose was fighting her morphine addiction, when Atticus shoots the rabies infected dog,when Boo saves Jem and Scout and sneaks out the Radley house to give gifts to the kids and most importantly atticus’ determination to defend the town.

“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.

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.

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

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