“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.”, (Lee, 112). In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee depicts various themes through Scout’s life and her maturing experiences. One of these major themes is courage. Courage is the “ability to do something that frightens someone”. This theme is shown in many ways in To Kill a Mockingbird. The major examples which depicted courage were Atticus’ role in Tom’s trial, Mrs. Dubose’s battle against her morphine addiction and Arthur Radley’s heroic acts towards Jem and Scout. However, despite these bold actions and motives, the ensuing results are not positive. People who demonstrate courage are not always rewarded or recognized, …show more content…
One of these characters is Atticus Finch. Atticus’ determination and bravery is shown when he agrees to take Tom Robinson’s case and intends to defend him fairly. “I am simply defending a Negro- his name is Tom Robinson. He lives in that settlement beyond the town dump.”, (Lee, 75). Atticus treats Tom like a normal human being, he refers to him in a casual and respectful way. Unlike his fellow Maycombian citizens who seem quite prone to using language such as “nigger”. Atticus is treating Tom’s case with the same effort, equality, and prowess that he treats his other cases with. Despite all of his efforts, however, Atticus is not successful. “His hat was in his hand, and face was white. […] ‘What’s the matter?’ Aunt Alexandra asked, alarmed by the look on my father’s face. ‘Toms dead.’”, (Lee, 235). Atticus’ main goal for the trial had been to give Tom hope. To change the views of the community. This goal is not achieved and he is left with a reality that affects his whole family. Tom’s death. His son is broken and doubting the truth of the justice system. Despite all his hard work and bravery put into the trial, Atticus is left with no true win after this case. Though Atticus didn’t show courage in the stereotypical way he is an excellent example of