To Kill A Moking Bird Essay, Research Paper
To Kill a Mockingbird- The theme of courage
In 1960, Harper Lee?s To Kill a Mockingbird was published. It is a story about
growing up, human dignity and prejudgment. It is a story about courage. Courage is
mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
The theme of courage is embodied in the characters of the novel. Courage is apparent in
Atticus, Boo, and Jem. Throughout the novel, the actions and feelings these characters
exhibit shows the true meaning of courage.
Atticus Finch is a studious man with a sense of morality that no other character in
the book comes close to matching. Atticus? behavior is governed by reason, morals and
values- not cheap popularity. In the novel, Atticus takes on the Tom Robinson case.
When asked about the reason he takes on this case, Atticus simply relies, ?But do you
think I could face my children otherwise?? This is truly an act of admirable courage
because he goes against all odds of the prejudice town and takes on this case. Atticus is
harassed and tormented by the town for taking on the case. Yet he would rather be
taunted than to go against his morals. This is courageous of him because he performs this
courageous act and expects nothing in return. By taking on this case, Atticus is harassed
by Bob Ewell. When Bob spits in Atticus? face, all Atticus says is, ?I wish Bob Ewell
wouldn?t chew tobacco.? Instead of sinking to Bob Ewells? level, Attics takes the
harassment and takes it with his head held high. This ability to withstand harassment
from Bob Ewell, and Maycomb, is courage. Atticus shoots Tim Johnson- a ?mad dog?
with rabies. Atticus places his own life in danger in order to protect the lives of others.
This event occurs at the perfect time in the story, just as the kids label Atticus as being
?feeble: he was nearly 50.? Shooting Tim Johnson proves to the children Atticus is
anything but feeble, he is indeed courageous. As the reader can clearly see, Atticus
epitomizes the definition of courage. Courage, in Atticus? opinion, is not being able to
fight with fists but to fight with knowledge and dignity. Atticus tells the children,
?I wanted you to see what real courage is instead of the idea that courage is a man
with a gun in his hand. Its when you known your licked before you begin but you
begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but
sometimes you do.?
Atticus acknowledges this as courage. He knows he will never win the Tom Robinson
case, yet he continues to give it 101%. Without any doubt, Atticus is the definition of
courage.
The man who is ostracized by Maycomb, the man who lives in mysterious seclusion-
all words describing Boo Radley. Though never stated, it is
because of his mean-spirited brother, Nathan. Yet Boo truly does want to be part of the
?outside world,? though he somewhat fears it. Boo proves to be courageous because he
goes against the wishes of Nathan and leaves various paraphernalia in the knothole of the
big oak tree. Rumors travel around town about Boo, such as ?Boo drove the scissors into
his parent?s leg, pulled them out, wiped them clean and resumed his activities.? Boo is
able to ignore such rumors and carry on. This shows courage, the courage to live life
even when presented with many obstacles. When Bob Ewell attempts to make an attack
on the children, Boo rushes in to save their lives. Boo doesn?t think twice about his life,
only thinking about others. Boo is a scrawny character, Bob Ewell is definitely bigger in
size then Boo. Yet Boo acts courageously and looks danger in the eye- all for others.
Jem Finch is the character that changes most during the course of the novel. He starts
off as a gawky boy and turns into a mature and courageous young adult. Courage is
evident in Jem. It takes courage for Jem to be the way he is in the story- opinionated and
strong-willed. All of the people around Jem constantly plague him with the idea that
black people are bad and sinful. Jem went against those ideas and took on his own
opinions. Jem?s refusal to give into ?Maycomb?s usual disease? shows true courage.
Jem is brave enough to stand up to Mrs. Dubose and go against society?s dominant views.
Jem was forced to rebuild and strengthen Mrs.Dubose?s camellias, just as he is forced to
strengthen his courage against the town. Mrs. Dubose leaves behind Jem a white
camellia. ?Jem picked up the candy box and threw it in the fire. He picked up the
camellia and when [Scout] went off to bend [Scout] saw him fingering the wide petals.?
True, at first it may seem that the camellia is a symbol of torture- reminding Jem of his
days with Mrs.Dubose. A second glance allows the reader to come to the realization that
the camellia is actually a symbol of courage. Jem puts his own life in danger to save
Scout- like Boo Radley. As explained in the above paragraph, this does show courage.
As the reader can clearly see, Boo, Jem and Atticus exhibit courage. Courage is
being able to act with dignity and bravery. It is not common to find courage in everyday
common people, yet in To Kill a Mockingbird; several characters in the book exhibit
courage. Though Atticus, Boo and Jem display courage, they are not the only characters
to do so. The characters in the novel face numerous conflicts, and with time, conflicts
become more serious. It is only through courage that these conflicts can be won.
Bibliography
this is to kill a moking bird which i particularly like as a novel.
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