In “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus defines courage as “ knowing you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyways, and you see it through no matter what, you rarely win but sometimes you do.” Atticus fits his own definition of courage in many ways because he never gives up on what he believes in. He never gives up on what he believes in because he knows what's best and he thinks that if he shows he can stand up for himself and others he will be respected. Atticus Finch is a lawyer and a father of two, he needs to be very bold and he has to show a lot of respect for himself and these kids. People of Maycomb very well might see Atticus as a courageous person a lot like me because of how he acts and the pride he shows in what he’s doing.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view, until you climb into their skin and walk around in it.” Atticus stated on page 30 of To Kill a Mockingbird. This shows that Atticus Finch is very courageous when it comes to things because this quote was about the Cunningham’s, very poor people who never took anything they could not pay back, and Atticus knew that and so he gave the Cunningham’s something that he knew they would be able to pay back, this shows courage because Atticus knows they don’t have a lot but he still took what they did have. Atticus also shows courage when he allows Scout to talk to Mr.Cunningham even though he knows it is probably not the best idea because it
Atticus says to Jem that he wants his son “To see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand”. Courage is simply defined as having strength and power when faced with any problem that's frightening. Courageous people show characteristics such as being fearless, daring and bold. Courageousness is expressed greatly throughout “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Atticus and his kids. Although they did show a lot of courage by standing up to those who sought to bring down the Finch name, others in the novel showed courage as well such as Arthur “Boo” Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mrs. Dubose. Atticus was greatly put down by the people of Maycomb because he was defending a black man, Tom Robinson, which
Atticus Finch is a character from chapters 1-7 that demonstrates moral courage. Atticus shows moral courage. Atticus shows moral courage because he is an honest man. He often says to his kids to think of something from the others point of view, before someone judges them. “As Atticus had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jems skin and walk around in it.” (Page 64 paragraph 1) He always looked for and opportunity to make his children better people. Atticus told Scout to think about what Jem did and imagine herself in that situation. This shows that
Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”
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.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, one of Atticus Finch’s most significant qualities, courage, impacts the story. Throughout the book, Harper Lee portrays courage as doing something out of your comfort zone, for the greater good or a good cause. The first example shows how Atticus’s quality of courage impacts the story. Atticus is sitting in front of the jail cell where Tom Robinson, the African-American man he is defending, is being kept. When Mr. Cunningham and the rest of his followers confront Atticus, he stays strong, keeps his ground and doesn’t let anything happen to Tom. The interaction starts with Mr. Cunningham approaching Atticus, “He in there, Mr. Finch? He is, and he’s asleep. Don’t wake him up. In obedience to my father. There followed what I later realized was a sickeningly comic aspect of an unfunny situation: the men talked in near-whispers. You know what we want. Get Aside from the door, Mr. Finch. You can turn around and go home, Walter. Heck Tate’s around somewhere.”(171-172) Atticus stops Mr. Cunningham and his men from harming Tom before his trial. It took courage to stand up to men who are usually cordial with him resulting in Tom not being killed and allowing the trial to continue. In the second example, it shows how Atticus’s actions reflect what how Harper Lee believes courage looks like in everybody. Atticus is brought to a tough decision in whether or whether not to defend Tom Robinson. When Scout asks him about the case and why he decided
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee gives us the character Atticus Finch to give us an example of what courage is through symbolism, pathos, and irony. In this analysis I will talk about about how Atticus’s actions and words all seem to try to teach us something, and that something is courage. We can see the biggest example of Atticus’s courage when he has to talk about Tom Robinson’s case or when he talked to the kids about what Mrs. Dubose was trying to do before her death. Atticus’s courage is the type that allows him to do what he thinks is right even if people don’t agree with him or if it seems hopeless to try. Atticus is also seen trying to pass down his courage and wisdom to his kids throughout the story.
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.
First off, Atticus shows courage when he shot a sick dog named Tim Johnson. A quote that proves this is, “Jem and I watched our father take the gun and walk out into the middle of the street quickly”(127). Atticus shows courage in this situation by killing an animal that was a danger to the people of Maycomb. He also had not fired a rifle in 30 years. Atticus showed courage by acting in a way that was not comfortable to him. Tim Johnson
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.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, courage can be found in every chapter and on almost every page of this book. Virtually every character in this book posses courageous qualities. In this novel, the Finches' are just a few of the people who endure harsh blows over about a three year period. However, each and every one of them step up to the plate with courage ready to strike. Atticus especially shows courage when he agrees to defend Tom Robinson. Atticus did not have to take this case, and everything that accompanies it. However, Atticus wanted to prove that being prejudice and racist is undoubtfully wrong. To try and convey this message was a difficult take to preform, but Atticus wanted the people of Maycomb to understand why he felt this way. Another charater who clearly shows courage is Boo Radley. Boo Radley was the person who killed Bob Ewell. Boo Radley did this because Bob Ewell was trying to kill Jem and Scout. Boo Radley, beyond a shadow of doubt, walked into that situation
Atticus demonstrates both definitions of courage in many parts of the novel. Atticus was talking to Scout when he said, “‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win’” (Lee 76). This demonstrates Atticus’s own definition of courage because he knows he’s not going to convince the jury that Tom was innocent but he was still going to put his best effort in and fight till the end. Equally important, Atticus shows little acts of courage throughout the
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus exhibits courage. Following the events of Jem being punished for his acts of ruining Mrs. Dubose’s plants, on page 112, Atticus tells Jem, “It’s [courage] is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” This is foreshadowing for Atticus’s main role of defending Tom Robinson. On page 215, Miss Maudie tells Jem, “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant
People often ask, “what is courage?”. Courage is doing what is right, no matter what the circumstances are. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch shows what real courage is throughout the novel. Real courage is when someone fights for what is right, no matter what the final decision is. Atticus is the perfect person to display real courage. Atticus is a courageous man, honest lawyer, and a great role model for his two kids Scout, formally known as Jean Louise Finch, and Jem, formally known as Jeremy Atticus Finch. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus represents the importance of doing what is right while being courageous.
Atticus Finch is by far the most courageous character in To Kill a Mockingbird despite many other characters, such as Mayella and Scout being dauntless. The misunderstood Mayella, simple Scout, and audacious Atticus all show courage in their own way. Courage ranges from the simplest of acts to the most selfless sacrifices, and can be demonstrated by people of any age, gender, or level in the social
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.