Atticus Showing Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

500 Words2 Pages

Andrew Moneysmith
Mr. Mizrahi
English 1-2 Per 6
May 11, 2023
Abundance of Courage Brené Brown once said, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen”. Having courage is like a superpower that gives the ability to put aside fear, failure, and for example, in To Kill a Mockingbird, being able to stand out from the crowd. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee about racial injustice in a southern town during the 1930’s. A lawyer named Atticus defends a black man who was falsely accused of rape even though Atticus knows that he will lose. Along the way, Atticus’s kids Jem and Scout learn lots of lessons about empathy, family life, prejudice, and showing courage. Lee uses Atticus and Boo in order to illustrate that …show more content…

After Jem breaks Mrs. Dubose’s flowers for insulting Atticus, Atticus explains to Jem “This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience- I couldn't go to church and worship God if I didn't help this man” (139). Atticus understands that if he does not defend Tom, it would breach from his morals of justice that everyone deserves a fair trial. This shows that Atticus has a strong moral compass and truly believes that all men are created equal. Atticus straying from the crowd even though he knows the consequences is certainly a great lesson about doing what is right not what others say. Another character that shows courage is Boo Radley because he tries to help people whenever he can even though everyone thinks he is a freak. After Boo Radley saves Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell, Sheriff Heck Tate tells Atticus “I never heard tell that it’s against the law for a citizen to do his utmost to prevent a crime from being committed, which is exactly what he did” (369). Sheriff Tate is suggesting to Atticus that Boo was the one responsible for killing Bob and that they should cover him because he prevented an even worse crime from happening. This shows that underneath Boo’s disguise of mystery, he is actually a caring and empathetic human that just wants to help. Boo going against what others will think of him is another example of how it takes bravery and courage to go against others