Examples Of Heroism In To Kill A Mockingbird

The fact that Atticus does not retaliate when Bob Ewell spits on his face shows that he is courageous. He does not wish to fight, but instead, walks away with his head held high. It takes real courage to walk away after being spat on.

Atticus Finch, the father of Scout and Jem and a lawyer in Maycomb, is a compelling character in To Kill a Mockingbird. He catches the eye of many readers because of his honesty, courage, and his ability to be a outstanding father. We witness these qualities when Atticus defends Tom Robinson, helps his children grow, and the way he conducts himself with the angry white folks of Maycomb, AL. Atticus Finch is one of the main characters in this book portraying a role of a lawyer defending a black man, in a small-town with a majority of white supremacists. This essay will provide examples of the previous three traits to display how Atticus is a compelling character.

When people think of heroes, they will likely think of Superman, Spiderman, or the Hulk, but Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, has created a new hero. His name is Atticus Finch. Scout, Atticus’s daughter, says, “Our father didn’t do anything. He worked in an office, not a drug store. Atticus did not drive a dump truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone” (Lee 118). Although Scout does not consider her father to be neither youthful nor energetic, he does what all heroes do- he protects the innocent. The main theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is destroyed and preserved innocence, and without Atticus protecting the innocent, all innocence would be destroyed. Atticus embodies the theme of To Kill a Mockingbird and shows heroism by setting a good example for the children and the townspeople, giving insightful advice to his children, and protecting an innocent African American man before the civil rights era had even begun.

One example of a hero from To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus Finch, the father of the protagonist, Scout. One example of Atticus’s heroism is when he shows courage by defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. This shows courage because no one else wanted to defend Tom, and he knew he was going to lose. Atticus says real courage is, “When you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” This quote illustrates the idea because Atticus knows he will not win the Tom Robinson case, but he shows courage by seeing it through all of the way to the end. Another example of Atticus being a hero is that he always respects everyone. He does not care what people look like, he justs respects them. No one believes Tom is innocent at first just because he is black, but Atticus respects him and trusts him. Also, when he is cross-examining Mayella at the trial he shows respect for her by calling her “ma’am” and “Miss Mayella.” Dill says, “Well, Mr. Finch didn't act that way to Mayella and old man Ewell when he cross-examined them. The way that man called him 'boy' all the time an' sneered at him, an' looked around at the jury every time he answered-." This quote shows Atticus is a polite and respectful gentleman because even though he was cross-examining Mayella and Mr. Ewell, he was considerate. Atticus is just one of many heroes in To Kill a Mockingbird, but he is a major one.

There are many courageous people in this world including fire fighters, soldiers, police officers and other citizens that show random acts of courage. One person in particular that is a very courageous person is Atticus in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Throughout the novel Atticus shows great courage even when he knows things might not go the way he wants and he doesn’t stop or give up, he tries even harder and that shows true courage.

Next, Atticus was not only brave but also independent since he faced many situations himself. He first portrayed independence by defending Tom Robinson’s case. Atticus does not have the support of many people in Maycomb for defending a black man. However, his job is to defend people, but this is a tough situation because he needed to defend Tom himself. When Atticus sat outside the jail he also showed independence because he went out at night himself. This is a risky thing to do, but he did not need anyone to go with him. This shows that Atticus is always able to take matters into his own hands showing his independence. Also, Atticus is able to put his foot down when necessary. For example, his sister Alexandra tries to get him to fire Calpurnia.

In today’s society, a hero is often seen as someone who puts themselves into a directly fatal situation for the purpose of saving other people. A hero is less often thought of as someone who teaches lessons that in turn, could easily save lives. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a hero to his children, and to Tom Robinson. Atticus devoted a year to defending Tom Robinson when all odds were stacked against him. He spent his time with his children teaching them right from wrong. He tried not to push his opinions on them so they could become their own people, but he tried to set a good example. Atticus very rarely put himself in direct danger because of his actions, but because of his opinions. His opinions affected the views of the people of Maycomb. Atticus Finch was a hero in the most day to day sense.

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.

Atticus believes that fighting Mr Ewell’s opinions is not worth the effort or trouble, and proceeds to act accordingly. Doing nothing but standing and waiting for his attacker to finish his rant, Atticus determines that the abuse Mr Ewell brings upon him is not worth the effort of trying to stop, and is much better brought upon him than upon the Ewell children at home. Foreseeing the consequences of Mr Ewell’s anger, Atticus feels that it is much more appropriate, though not right, for the grown man to take his anger out on the person who caused him distress, as opposed to those who never were guilty. The impartiality Atticus holds when talking with Mr Ewell highlights Lee’s support of courage being shown not through just offensive actions, but also through

Atticus also shows physical and emotional courage. “According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, however, Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr.Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on

He shows his bravery in many ways including defending a Negro. He also uses his knowledge in several situations to teach or help others. He also respects all people regardless of how they look or think. Atticus is a role model for the people of Maycomb and for the people who read the book. Atticus has many positive traits that most people yearn for. He can show us ways that we can be better without having the effect that he looked down upon us because he’s not real. We can all strive to grow these positive traits that Atticus has. Imagine if we were all like Atticus; imagine how much nicer people would be, how much braver people would be, and how much smarter people would be. We can all start this positive trend by looking up to Atticus or any other living person who resembles Atticus and strive to be more like

It is rare to find a courageous and sympathetic person who is willing to stand against social injustice. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus represents this rare hero. He is a lawyer and a single parent to his kids Jem and Scout. He understands that society should not be black and white and helps those who are mistreated. Not only does Atticus demonstrate acts of courage and empathy, he is also an excellent role model to his children. Atticus represents the qualities of a true hero by exposing injustice, and through courageous and sympathetic activities, teaching his children moral values.

Throughout the book, Atticus displays a willingness to sacrifice himself for the benefit of others. Through his painful death, Jesus defends people from Satan and pays the punishment for sin. Similarly, Atticus defends a man at great cost to himself. In the racially charged town of Maycomb, an innocent black man finds himself on trial for assaulting a white girl. Although the town would rather have a black man killed than slander their white race with a sultry girl, Atticus stands up for the truth. Atticus defends the black man and as a result, Mr. Ewell, the town drunk, spits in his face. Many of the town inhabitants turn against Atticus and they despise him. Atticus sacrifices himself to defend the helpless, just like Jesus.

Atticus’ constant honesty, proves that he is very strong minded about his beliefs. There are multiple times throughout the book where Atticus could have dissimulated the truth. Instead of trying to make his life easier, he chose to rise above the other citizens of Maycomb County. One example of his honesty is when he was talking to Mr. Tate, during the end of the book. Atticus and Mr. Tate had both been confabulating that it had been Jem, who had stabbed Mr. Ewell. Mr. Tate

In the novel, Atticus shows clear signs of heroism. He displays this when he admonishes the children for trying to leave a note for Boo radley, there unseen neighbour who has become a legend to residence within the town. Atticus states that if they want to see Boo Radley, they can knock on the door and treat him like a human being and not a circus side-show. He also adds that ‘Boo is entitled to his privacy away from the gawking eyes of kids’ on page 54. He is clearly defending someone whom he doesn't know, hence being a hero. Another example of this is when he sits outside of the jail in order to protect Tom Robinson, a black man who was falsely accused of rape, from the lynch mob. This shows Atticus is heroic because he was willingly going to risk his safety for another person and also by going against the racism views in the books set time. But even though he was prepared to do so, it is viewed that Scout was the one who ended up