Courage And Integrity In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

The ability to show courage and integrity enables a person to face their difficulties and defend what they believe in without fear of repercussions. A courageous, strong willed person will stand up to others to express what they think is right and wrong in spite of the possibility of criticism from others. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee is able to show this determination and strong fortitude through Atticus’s character. Atticus is shown to display the characteristics of a courageous person through action in the novel, mostly through the defending of a Tom Robinson, a black person, and the chain reaction of events that happen before and after his trial. It is also shown by Atticus in smaller acts largely towards his children,

As proved in this novel, showing even just a little courage can greatly improve someone else’s life, inspire others to do the same, and even enhance other’s as well as your own opinion of yourself. Being a person with strong morals, lots of integrity, and the drive to actually fight for what you believe in takes a huge amount of bravery. Though it comes with a lot of self sacrifice, defending those who you believe have been wronged can greatly improve the lives of others. In the book, Atticus is shown to do just that; he upholds what he considers just through action. In the 1930s, which is the time of the novel, people of race who had coloured skin were pushed to the margins of society just for being of that ethnicity. They were treated poorly within their communities, segregated from the rest of the population, and forced to work like slaves. Within these times of harsh racism, there were few people who believed everyone should

A courageous person who acts upon their virtues in the presence of others can be very influential in inspiring them to do the same. Not only did Atticus’s actions during the court trial make changes in people’s lives, it also inspired them to change their ways of thinking and inspired them to be as courageous as Atticus. For example, before Atticus was defending Tom Robinson, Braxton Bragg Underwood was known to despise negroes so much so that he won’t let one near him. Ironically though, when Atticus is warding of a mob of men trying to harm Tom at the jail, Mr. Underwood was assisting him by threatening the mob with his shotgun. It is appropriate to say that the selfless bravery Atticus displayed inspired Mr. Underwood to join in and help defend Tom from the cruelty the mob would have inflicted. Another example includes Alexandra Finch, who was just as prejudiced as any other person residing in Maycomb, even going as far as to not allow Scout to visit Calpurnia at her house since she deemed it not right for a white person to visit a black person’s home. After the trial though, Alexandra is shown to display more understanding and compassion towards the people of colour, even expressed her sincerity to Atticus and actually referring to him as her brother. She also conveyed shock and then genuine unhappiness when she found out about Tom’s death. This