What is courage? One of the best-selling novels "To Kill a Mockingbird,” was written by Harper Lee. It is a classic story that occurs in Maycomb, Alabama, with the characters Scout Finch, the main protagonist, and her older brother, Jem. They spend much of their time with Dill and spying on their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, the widowed father, and lawyer, defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been charged with rape, the trial, and further incidents expose the children to racism and prejudice. The novel includes many major themes like injustice, loss of innocence, hidden identity, but the most significant subject matter would have to be courage. Courage is the quality of mind that allows oneself to be able to a crisis …show more content…
For example, Arthur Radley, as known as Boo, had done so when he had rescued Jem from Bob Ewell, "Hey, Boo" (Lee 274). On this night, he took on a physically fit, knife-wielding man when he could have remained silent behind the walls of the Radley house. Boo risked his life fighting Bob, a decision that ultimately puts his precious privacy at risk. Also, Boo had finally walked out of the protection of his house after so many years, and now he is exposed. When Boo was viewed as a phantom menace who haunted people and ate raw animals, he was feared, and now that he has entered the scary world, he is faced with having to be judged or possibly ridiculed. Even more, facing your fears does not necessarily mean doing something heroic. When Atticus goes to guard the Maycomb jail where Tom is being held a mob comes to the jail seeking to injure Tom. When the mob approaches Atticus, the children, who have been watching, come to Atticus’ side. Scout initiated the charge, but Jem shows bravery when he refuses to leave. Scout stands out as the brave child but she stays because Jem stays (Lee 154). In this scene, the presence of children diffuses the intense situation. The aid of the Scout and Jem was an act of courage going against the mob. These were a group of grown men against three young children and one male adult. It took a vast amount of courage for Jem to go against his father’s words and fo Scour to …show more content…
When Scout’s Uncle Jack joins the family for Christmas, Atticus reveals to his brother on how he came to defend Tom Robinson and his thoughts about it, “... do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what's going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness... I just hope Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town. I hope they trust me enough…” (Lee 91). Atticus stands up to his neighbors' racism, recognizing the fact that he is jeopardizing himself and his loved ones to troublesome times. Atticus is faced with a dilemma of having to defend this man or deal with the outcome of it. Atticus is aware that defending a black man accused of raping a white woman will make enemies in the town and bring trouble to his family, but he feels that he has little choice in the matter. In addition to having the outcome to be negative, during the court scene, he had defiantly stands up in the court and announces that Tom has never given him a problem. Deas outburst earns the wrath of Judge Taylor whom afterwards orders him to be silent (Lee 199). Leas knows that Tom Robinson is innocent and tries his best to assist Atticus in a way to alter the jury’s mind. Even though he is scolded by the almighty Judge Taylor, he knows that what he says is credible. Although, some acts of courage can lead
Courage is conveyed through the characters’ actions in the book To Kill A Mockingbird and the movie The Help. Atticus from To Kill A Mockingbird is a white, Southern lawyer in Maycomb County, Alabama. He adamantly defends Tom Robinson, a negro who had allegedly raped a white woman, even knowing that his prejudiced county would convict him. This exemplifies courage because a white man to seeking equality for a black man was not accepted in their time period, a place of extreme racial segregation. Yet, Atticus defended Tom already knowing that he will lose. In The
“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Atticus Finch. This quote is proved to be true in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee as it demonstrates the true definition of courage. The book takes you along the journey of young girl, Scout Finch, during a time where colored people are thought less of. She experiences this first hand as her father, Atticus Finch, has been assigned to defend a colored man who has been accused of raping a white female. Scout along with her elder brother Jem, learn the definition of courage through some of the characters and how they act to the events that occur before and after the trial. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, many characters are great examples of trusting yourself when all odds are stacked against you. Throughout the novel the characters that display courage are Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.
Courage is not facing a problem without any fear. Courage is facing an obstacle despite their fear. Standing up for what they believe in, even though there will be negative consequences. That is true courage. The book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee does a great job of showing this.
Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success. One will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble; courage is simply the foundation of integrity. What someone does in these moments of being very brave will reveal how strong someone really is, regardless of how much weight someone can deadlift. The courage of each character in "To Kill A Mockingbird" manifests itself in their battles against the corrupt forces of their world.
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.
Atticus is the town’s most respected lawyer. He is not wealthy, but he is well off in the community and is very kind towards everyone. As a single parent, he faces the world, raising his two children with his maid, Calpurnia, who experiences better conditions and responsibilities than other African Americans of her time, due to Atticus’ beliefs. He has a reputation for being an open-minded, fair man, and a unique personality that is overflowing with honesty. He has been assigned a case of defending a black man who is apparently accused of rape. Now Atticus is both loved and unloved by the townspeople. Since they live in the South during the 1930’s, Atticus gives a lot of advice to his children, Scout and Jem. Atticus tells Scout and Jem that they should not say anything about a person especially when they do not know that person. Atticus describes what he means in a quote “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around it”(Lee 39). Atticus defends a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a girl. Atticus has the confidence and the courage to defend Tom and prove that he is innocent. Scout does not believe that her father is nice enough or has the courage to defend Tom. Atticus proves that
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.
Atticus teaches Jem and Scout to act courageously by modelling that type of behaviour. By defending Tom Robinson Atticus puts himself in the middle of the conflict. Tom Robinson and
Courage isn’t always bravery. Sometimes courage goes unseen. To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, displays different types of courage. It is written from a point of view of a child whose name is Scout growing up in a Southern town with her brother Jem. Their father, Atticus Finch, is defending an African American man named Tom Robinson who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. The Finches mysterious neighbor in Maycomb County, Arthur Radley, whom the children have never seen until Halloween night, adds to the rising tensions in the town. The book teaches many lessons and sheds light on some of the problems we still have today. One of the lessons it teaches is courage. Courage is standing up for what is right, just like Atticus,
Atticus is guarding the jailhouse to make sure no one hurts Tom Robinson before his trial, when he is approached by Walter Cunningham and his fellow goons. Atticus shows his bravery by standing his ground for what he believes is right in front of his son. When Scout lashes out to her father’s side, Jem holds onto her and tries to stop her from interfering. Then Jem refuses to go home and stands up for his father’s side although the odds were against them, while trying to protect his sister from harm. In page 152, chapter 15, Scout says, “... but from the way he stood, Jem was not thinking of budging.” This shows us that Jem has matured from the boy who would do anything if dared, to a young man who can barricade his emotions and proceed with reason in difficult situations.
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.
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
Atticus displays acts of personal courage in his willingness to keep others safe and his response to racism based threats. Many of the citizens of Maycomb County and its surrounding area were upset about Atticus, a lawyer, taking the defense case of Tom Robinson, a black man who was accused of raping a white woman. Mr. Link Deas and Mr. Heck Tate, along with some other men in Maycomb, come to tell Atticus about the Old Sarum lynch mob coming to kill Tom. The next night, Atticus goes down to the county jail and tells the mob to go home and leave Tom alone (Lee 194 and 202). The lynch mob comes to kill Tom, so they could potentially hurt Atticus, too. The amount of courage Atticus has to display to defend Tom outside of the courthouse and stand up to a dangerous mob of men is extremely high, considering the risks he takes. Atticus comes home from work one day, after the trial is over, and is approached by Mr. Bob Ewell, the victim's father: "According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, however, Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him... Atticus's peaceful reaction probably prompted him to inquire,'Too proud to fight, you [Negro-lover]?' Miss Stephanie said Atticus said, 'No, too old', put his hands in his pockets, and strolled on"(291). Mr. Ewell is upset that Atticus had tried to prove that Tom was innocent and that Mr. Ewell had hurt his own daughter. He also believes that
Atticus shows true courage by defending Tom Robinson, a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Atticus continues to fight for justice despite knowing he can’t win the case because he is