What Is The Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

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.

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

Atticus Finch is remarkably courageous throughout the novel. Atticus does not retaliate when Bob Ewell spits in his face, goes to Tom’s cell knowing there would be a mob, and does his best in court to exonerate Tom. Firstly, Atticus does not retaliate when Bob Ewell spits in his face. Atticus says “ ‘...if spitting in my face saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take’ ” (Lee 218). Atticus is being disrespected in one of the worst ways by a man he could destroy, but knows that he was helping a victim of abuse, Mayella, so he does not make things worse by retaliating. Secondly, Atticus knows there is a mob coming, but nevertheless goes to Tom Robinson’s cell to defend him. Atticus knows the possibly dangerous mob is coming, with Scout observing “He seemed to be expecting them” (150). However, Atticus recognizes that he is Tom’s only hope, and utilizes his immense courage to face the mob. Thirdly, Atticus does his best to defend Tom in court. As Scout tells us, “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (241). Atticus knows from the beginning he has next to no chance to win the trial, but still tries for Tom’s sake, for the other black people in the community, and for the chance he could appeal it and change laws for the good of African Americans. Atticus is an amazing example of courage in the face of adversity for his actions in To Kill A Mockingbird.

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.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird courage is defined as standing up for what one believes in. Throughout the part one of the book Atticus stands up for what he believes in even though he is heavily criticized. Out of every character introduced so far Atticus has shown by far the most cnjourage. Scout and Jem show courage by trying to communicate with Boo Radley even though all of the terrible rumors.

"Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory." ~John Maxwell. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch), and Atticus Finch display acts of valor that contribute, and in some cases encourage their rectitude. Harper Lee demonstrates that acting courageously can lead to an improved, sustained, or newly developed personal integrity.

“Instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” is the true meaning of courage stated by Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird(Lee 149,chap 11). To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by author Harper Lee. The novel is about a childhood adventure that takes place in the southern town of Maycomb, were siblings Jem and Scout learn what it means to grow up and mature into adulthood. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays that courage is not just a man with a gun in his hand, courage can be portrayed or shown in different types of forms. The types of courage that were shown in To Kill a Mockingbird is physical courage, moral courage, and emotional courage.

Atticus is an important character throughout the novel, he has a large influence of the community of Maycomb County that he is strongly valued in. He is revealed to us through his words and actions as a courageous and unprejudiced man with good values and morals. At the beginning of the novel Atticus Finch takes Tom Robinson’s court case, Tom Robinson is a black member of the Maycomb town who has been accused of rape of Mayella Ewell. In the 1930’s this was a very controversial case for Atticus to be supporting as throughout the community and the Unites States there was a problem of racial inequality. Blacks were not seen to have equal rights as whites and were seen as the lower class and “trash”. Atticus says that “When it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins”. This shows that although he is exposing himself and his family to the anger of the white community, he would rather stand by his moral values than join the rallying community of racially

Atticus shows how courageous he is many times throughout this novel, including when Tom Robinson was put on trial. Tom is an African American who is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Tom is arrested for this incident and put on trial. No lawyer in Maycomb County wants to defend Tom. Until Atticus is asked to represent Tom. Although Atticus knows this will be a tough

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear” (Mark Twain), this ties in with Atticus’ and his definition because he masters fear and is resistant to it; he takes the case and is not feared by Bob’s presence. One of the many topics in this book is courage; it is used many times in the novel and in life. It is explained many times in this novel; whether it is through Harper Lee’s use of courage, how courage is defined and the character who exemplifies courage the best. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird courage is expressed by many characters in many different examples.

Courage is usually shown as having great strength and bravado. However, there is another kind of courage, the quiet, humble type, in which an individual stands for his beliefs and principles. To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, is filled with many themes and lessons, but the overriding theme is courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is the ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty and intimidation, to stand for what is right. Many of the book’s characters depict this virtue, but none more than Atticus Finch does. He shows courage as a parent, lawyer and member of his community. Atticus believes that courage, like charity, starts at home.

The character of Jem Finch, in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, noticeably matures and changes throughout the story. His father Atticus has just been assigned a case in which he must defend an African American, which gains him and his family negative attention from most of the town. However, he still finds time to raise Jem and his younger sister Scout, which includes him teaching them about what is takes to possess courage. Jem’s original idea of courage was measured by physical as opposed to moral means. As Jem ages, he learns that courage can also be defined as not just doing something for the attention but doing it because it is the right thing to do.

“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. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you anyway and you see it through no matter what." (Lee p. 128) To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee about two children named Scout and Jem and their father Atticus Finch. The plot revolves around the children growing up and all the things the family goes through as a result of their father defending a black man accused of rape in court. Courage is doing the right thing even if you’re afraid to do it. Atticus, Scout, and Jem each display courageous acts throughout the novel, even when it was difficult to do so.

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is a central theme. Throughout the novel, Atticus Finch- a middle-aged lawyer- was the obvious example for the courage. Atticus Finch had been appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a young white woman, Mayella Ewell. Even though many of Maycomb’s citizens disapprove, Atticus agreed to try his best to defend for Tom. Moreover, he knew that people would hate him because of this charge and he considered that he would lose the case, but he did it anyway. By his action he wanted to show Jem and Scout the fair and taught them that they have face to the difficulty but not shirk it. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for

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.