Courage is power To KIll a Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, is set in a small fictional town of Maycomb Alabama in the 1930’s. The story emphasizes the horrors of prejudiced and its impact on a small southern community. In this novel, Harper Lee introduces the reader to many themes, one of them being that courage is doing what’s right even when the odds of succeeding are poor. One of the characters from the novel who helps the reader to understand this theme of courage is Mrs. Dubose, a lonely mean older lady that lives in the town of Maycomb. She is trying to fight her addiction of morphine before she dies of the cancer she has. Mrs. Dubose’s odds of beating her addiction of morphine were very low do to the little time she has …show more content…
Atticus is courageous for defending a black man accused of rape,Tom Robinson, against a white women ,Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell’s daughter, in a predjest community and be ridiculed by people in his community, friends and family included. Atticus has the courage to stand up for what he believes in and takes ridicule from people in his community to defend Tom Robinson even when he knows he will lose the case. Atticus says to uncle Jack ”’It couldn’t be worst, Jack. The only we’ve got is a black mans words against the Ewells’. The evidence boils down the you did it-I didnt. The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells…’’’. This shows Atticus is courageous because he knows people are angry and saying he is wrong and he still stands up for what he believes in and defends Tom Robinson when he knows he's losing the case in the end. Atticus is courageous for standing up for what he believes is …show more content…
One of the most important themes in the novel is courage is doing what is right even when the odds of succeeding are poor. Harper Lee uses the characters of Mrs. Dubose, Arthur (Boo) Radley, and Atticus Finch in developing this major theme. Mrs. Dubose show courage when she fights her addiction of morphine before she dies knowing she might not have been able to do it. The character of Arthur (Boo) Radley shows courage when he goes outside and fights Bob Ewell saving Jem and Scout. Finally the character of Atticus Finch also shows courage when he goes to trial for a black man against a white girl. Even though the novel is a work of fiction, we can see similar lessons about courage in our world today, which makes To Kill a Mockingbird an important
‘To kill a mockingbird’ by Harper Lee focuses on the topic of courage in the duration of the novel. This is done by many different factors, such as physically, mentally, morally and emotionally. Ms. Dubose, Boo Radley and Atticus Finch all show courage in the face of defeat. The three of them show great courage. Mrs. Dubose shows courage when she decided to conquer her morphine addiction. Boo Radley, otherwise known as the town shut-in, shows an equal amount of courage at the end of the end of the novel by rescuing Jem Finch from Mr.Ewell. Finally, Atticus Finch also acts courageously by standing up for and defending Tom Robinson, knowing full well that a black man cannot get a fair trial in Maycomb county.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless novel that has been both accepted and refused by many readers. To Kill a Mockingbird took place is a town called Maycomb. It is narrated by a young girl named Jean Louise Finch, otherwise known as Scout, who learns how to deal with many things in her life. While learning to deal with racism, injustice, and criticism, she also finds courage being showed by many of her role models. The theme courage is best depicted through Boo Radley, Scout and Atticus.
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 To Kill a Mockingbird, a great deal of courage is shown by Atticus throughout the story. An excerpt from the book illustrates Atticus's courage perfectly, " Lemme tell you somethin' now, Billy," a third said, "you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger." "Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That's what I don't like about it" (Lee 163). Atticus again displays courage at the beginning of chapter 23, after
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,
Ms. Dubose is shown to be a significant character that displays the power of inner strength. She is a morphine addict that through Jem’s reading, successfully manages to combat this addiction. For a long time she has faced the world sick and alone, but what makes her a courageous person is her ability to recognize her weakness and even more to do something about it. Even though she knows she is dying soon, she neglects her own
An event in the novel in which courage is displayed is when Mrs Dubose fights to overcome her morphine addiction. Her decision to quit morphine despite the pain it would cause her to do what she thought was the right thing to do was very brave of her. "when you’re as sick as she was, it’s all right to take anything to make it easier, but it wasn’t all right for her”. This quote demonstrates Mrs Dubose’s determination to stay true to her beliefs and achieve her goal. Nobody would have judged her for continuing her use of the drug but she felt that she had to and so did what conformed to her moral standards. Mrs Dubose was a Christian and believed in heaven and when she arrived there she wanted to be free from sin. This incident in the book is a great learning point for both Jem and Scout as it shows them that although courage is not always obvious doesn't mean it isn't important. Mrs Dubose didn’t have to stop to taking morphine, but chose to and her dedication to see it through to the end is a good way for Lee to portray
Courage is fearlessness and doing what others are too afraid to do. This theme statement applies specifically to the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird contains a recurring theme about courageousness, and how it relates to and affects the lives of many in the small town of Maycomb. Characters such as Mrs. Dubose, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley show readers how they fight and stand up to their problems by overcoming them with integrity and courageousness. In the book, the author attempts to show the readers that courage is standing up for what is right, for the sake of humanity.
Another theme that is shown in To Kill a Mockingbird is courage. In the book, a blacked man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white girl. The father of the white girl, Bob Ewell is the one that said he saw Tom Robinson rape his daughter. Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, shows a lot of courage by defending Tom Robinson in court. In the book Atticus says, “In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins” (Lee 295). This shows that he basically knows that it's impossible for Tom to win in court, but he defends him anyways because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. Atticus tried his best to help Tom win, but in the end it didn’t happen. Tom should’ve won but just like Atticus said there’s no way a black man is going to win against an all white jury. If somebody else would’ve defended Tom, he probably would’ve lost in court right away, but Atticus tried really hard to win it for him. Therefore that is how Atticus showed courage in the book, he went along by himself to go against all the whites and defend the black man, Tom Robinson, because he thought it was the right thing to do.
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.
The theme that courage is persevering through every challenge is shown when Mrs. Dubose dies free from her addiction to morphine. Jem Finch had been reading to Mrs. Dubose, a mean, old neighbor of his, to make up for ruining her garden. Jem had always thought of Mrs. Dubose as a sick, scary lady, but Atticus Finch, Jem’s father, informs him that Mrs. Dubose was actually a very brave and strong person. During her life, she became addicted to morphine; Mrs. Dubose promised herself she would die clean. When Mrs. Dubose did pass away, she was no longer taking morphine. Atticus explains Mrs. Dubose’s courage when he states, “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 begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee, 61). Atticus is explaining that courage isn’t just “a man with a gun in his hand”. Courage is much more than that. Atticus is stating that courage is never giving up even if you encounter struggles and difficulties. Atticus’s words prove that courage is when you know you might not succeed but you don’t stop trying. Mrs. Dubose knew it would be difficult for her to stop using morphine, but she swore she would. She ended up dying clean from the drug because no matter what, she never gave up and never stopped trying. Through it
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become a mainstay in American high-schools. This is a classic novel that has inspired many people of all ages. It had a big impact on how people viewed and treated each other. This is a story that teaches everyone about the value of honesty, love, friendship and trust. Every word written in this book has a truly deep meaning to it. The time period that the book was written in was during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. This setting was in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama with people who did not get along. During this time there was a lot of segregation within America and different races. To Kill a Mockingbird is about a family who believes in doing the right thing and being honest. There was a
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 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
'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a novel that was written in the 1960s, but Harper Lee decided to set the novel in the Depression era of the 1930s in a small town in Alabama. Lee provided her readers with a historical background for the affairs of that time and in doing so she exposed the deeply entrenched history of the civil rights in South America. Like the main characters in this novel, Lee grew up in Alabama; this made it easier for her to relate to the characters in the novel as she would have understood what they would have experienced during the period when racism, discrimination and inequality was on the increase within the American society.