In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Lee displays the theme of courage to show that people should stand up for what they believe in no matter what. The novel follows Scout as she narrates her and her brother’s battle with prejudice and racism in their hometown, Maycomb County. Firstly, Atticus is talking to Jem and Scout about Mrs. Dubose; an old lady struggling with a morphine addiction. But, Mrs. Dubose has been trying very hard to beat her addiction, and the kids are helping her to do so. Jem and Scout have read to her every day for the last month. Sadly, she dies shortly after the month is over. Atticus explains to the kids, “... I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun …show more content…
Atticus is telling the kids that what Mrs. Dubose was doing was more courageous than him shooting a mad dog. Still, Mrs. Dubose and Atticus knew she would never beat her addiction, but she was going to try anyways. She stood up for what she thought was the right thing to do. In another example, Scout and Atticus are talking about Atticus's case. He is defending a black man named Tom Robinson. A kid from school calls Atticus a “negro lover,” for defending him, and Scout brings it up to Atticus. He tells Scout that he is ‘simply defending a negro.’ He then goes on to say, “... but there's been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about defending this man” (Lee 100). Even though the town doesn’t think it’s right for Atticus to defend Tom, he does it anyways. He believes that everyone deserves a fair chance in the court of law, regardless of their skin color. Finally, Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie area talking at the tea party at Scout’s home. Aunt Alexandra asks what else could the town want from Atticus. She says, “They’re perfectly willing to let him do what they’re too afraid to do themselves- it might lose ‘em a nickel. They’re perfectly willing to let him wreck his health doing what they’re afraid to do” (Lee …show more content…
First, Scout, Jem, and Dill are playing in Miss Maudie’s front yard. However, Jem and Dill want to play without Scout. Scout narrates, “... so careful were we to preserve the delicate balance of our relationship, but Jem and Dill drove me closer to her with their behavior” (Lee 56). Scout is referring to Miss Maudie. Since she was the only person outside at the time, Scout was forced to hang out with Miss Maudie. However, Scout comes to enjoy her company, and Miss Maudie treats all three kids with respect. Nevertheless, Scout is upset that Jem and Dill don’t want to play with her, even though they all used to play together when Dill first came to Jem and Scout. Secondly, Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie are talking at the missionary tea party at the Finch's’ house. Aunt Alexandra begins to talk about Atticus. “I can't say I approve of everything he does, Maudie, but he’s my brother, and I just want to know when this will ever end” (Lee 316). From the beginning, Aunt Alexandra is against her brother’s decision to defend Tom Robinson. However, as the jury gets closer to their verdict, she comes to understand Atticus’s decision. She realizes that he was doing what no one else would, and she wants him to win the case. Last, Scout is talking about Jem soon after his twelfth birthday. She says that he is becoming harder to live with since he is getting older, and he seems to not
The theme of courage is represented by three characters, Atticus, by defending Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose, when she kicks her morphine addiction even though she knew she was going to die, and Boo Radley, when he saves Scout and Jem from Mr. Ewell. First, Atticus showed courage by defending Tom Robinson. In the 1930’s, especially in the south, defending a black man was a big deal. It took Atticus a lot of courage to take the case knowing all the hate he would acquire. In a quote by Atticus, “…If I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town,
To begin, Mrs. Dubose displayed courage in this book by overcoming addiction. While she was living, Scout and Jem thought that Mrs. Dubose was a horrible person, but they thought differently after Atticus explained why she died. “Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,” Atticus had said (Lee, 147). “She was going to leave this world holden’ to nothing and nobody,” (Lee, 148). Atticus said this to explain how going over to Mrs. Dubose’s house had helped her overcome her addiction and as a result, he said, “She was the bravest person I knew,” (Lee, 149). From this, Scout and Jem learned that courage is not just having the guts to fight another person, it is also the strength in the face of pain.
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, or the ability to face danger without showing fear, is an essential quality to have in order to stand up for yourself and others. In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus teaches the children about bravery and courage by using Mrs. Dubose and her determination to beat her morphine addiction as an example of real courage. This will prepare Atticus and the children from the prejudice and the hatred of Maycomb during Tom Robinson’s trial. Throughout the book, Atticus respects Mrs. Dubose, and sees her as a symbol of bravery.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, This essay is going to prove how Atticus and Mrs. Dubose both show their own version of moral courage and how it has influenced others in this novel. The first point is that Atticus shows moral courage by fighting for what he believes in, no matter the consequence or the result. The second point is how Mrs. Dubose shows a specific meaning of moral courage by overcoming a tough physical and mental obstacle.
“No matter what anybody says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat.” (Lee 101). This is classic Atticus staying high above the low hits from the public not only showing great integrity of a father again, but also an attorney defending a person of color. To him, he simply is defending another man, no matter his skin color. Not only this, but he has a number of other reasons, “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 the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (Lee 100).
However, the kids are not quick to accepting people most of the time. Without Atticus being there to guide them along the path of righteousness, Jem and Scout would be just like any other kid in Maycomb. When the kids are confused as to why Atticus was trying to do the ethical thing and defend Tom, Miss Maudie has to explain to them that he was making "baby steps in the right direction" (183). When Jem is still absent minded about the ordeal, Miss Maudie says, "I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.' 'Oh,' said Jem. 'Well.' 'Don't you oh well me, sir,' Miss Maudie replied, recognizing Jem's fatalistic noises, 'you are not old enough to appreciate what I said'" (183). The kids are impetuous to judge people, like Boo Radley, and Atticus has to stand up for him against the children. Even if Scout and Jem do a good deed of exemplifying equality, they are following by Atticus' admirable example since he is their father and they live under his influence.
Because Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, Jem and Jean are always being looked at and talked about when they go out. Jean asks Atticus what rape is and this leads to Aunt Alexandra saying the children cannot go to church with Calpurnia. Jem and Jean get in a fight, and Jean is sent to her room. She looks under her bed, and she sees Dill. Dill ran away from his house because his mother and her new husband did not give him attention. Jem tells Atticus,, and the feed him before going to tell his Aunt next door that he was
Courage is the ability to do something that frightens someone, it is what makes ordinary people extraordinary. The strength in the face of pain or grief, but most importantly “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and, see it throughout no matter what”- Harper Lee. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the theme of courage is well shown throughout. In a small town of Maycomb, Alabama, Jem and Scout experience growing up in an unfair world affected with racism. Atticus is the town’s finest lawyer, having two children Jem and Scout who show courage with one another and towards each other. Boo Radley is known as an evil person in the town. Harper Lee displays courage as standing up for what one believes in, even when it means getting into trouble. The display of courage in To Kill a Mockingbird is shown through many of the main characters such as Atticus Finch, Boo Radley and Jem and Scout
Maycomb County is a small, divided town where, in this story, danger is no stranger. Everyone in Maycomb is faced with personal and difficulties, but everyone perseveres and faces the difficulties with courage. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, a young girl grows up in Maycomb County, Alabama during the Great Depression; this town is very divided in many ways and Scout is always finding ways to slip between the dividers. Throughout the story we hear rumors, court trials, and we see children maturing. By the end, we have a deeper understanding of the people in Maycomb County and what they are capable of. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the theme that courage is perseverance can be seen when Scout walks away from a fight, Mrs. Dubose dies free from her morphine addiction, and when Atticus defends an African American man in court.
After Confiding in Miss Maudie, the kids had “considerable faith in [her] she never told on [them]...(Lee 59) Sitting on Maudie’s porch, having conversations with her made Scout realize how much trust she has in their neighbor. Also Scout later sees that during times of struggle,” Maudie still
Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird exhibits various themes. Throughout the book, the different characters of Maycomb County deal with a theme of their own. Since the book is set in the 1930s, many people are treated as if they were impotent. Courage is the biggest theme demonstrated in the novel. All the characters deal with courage however a few of them stood out from all the rest.
As a result of Atticus's decision, Jem and Scout get into a number of fights with classmates and their cousin when they taunt them and call Atticus a "nigger lover." Life seems to be full of lesson for Scout and Jem. For example, when a rabid dog chases Scout, she discovers that her father, whom she previously thought too old to do anything, does possess some talents. Atticus turns out be a crack shot, killing the dog in one shot at a great distance. Another time the children learn to be tolerant of people who have problems even though they say mean things. A neighbor, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, derides Atticus and spreads lies about him, and screams insults at the children when they pass by. Jem gets very angry at her and cuts off her flowers from her bushes. Instead of siding with Jem, Atticus feels that what he did is wrong and as punishment, Jem has to read out loud to her every day to take her mind off her predicament. Atticus holds this old woman up as an example of true courage as she
Since Jem enjoys doing "manly" things, Scout does them as well for she does not know any better and she wants to gain Jem's respect for her. As time goes by, Jem starts to mature himself, from an irresponsible boy to a sensitive, gentlemen, Mister Jem; he is always Scout's adored older brother. As Scout gets older, her Aunt Alexandra decides to try and get Scout to act more like the Jean Louise that she wants her be. The only time that Aunt Alexandra was around for a long period of time was during the trial when she came to live with the Finches when Atticus was the lawyer for Tom. Even though she disagrees with her brother, Atticus, with his way of raising his children, especially Scout, who should be taught to be a lady believes that in time, she will "come around"
Mrs. Dubose displays acts of personal courage in her honesty and strength. When Jem and Scout walk past her house to go meet Atticus on his way home,