Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one, to show strength when faced with grief and pain. Many people struggle to have the mental power to persevere when faced with challenges. As I read the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee I saw Atticus Finch as a courageous character, as he stand up for what is right and just, despite the danger others may inflict upon him.

Atticus shows courage in many ways throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Firstly, he takes Tom Robinson’s case, a black man accused of raping a white woman, despite the fact he knows it’ll upset the people of Maycomb. By the corner of the post office, Bob Ewell, spits in Atticus’ face for defending Tom Robinson, and instead of retaliating, Atticus decides, “...if spitting

He displays courage by teaching his children to think for themselves, even when it is difficult. Jem feels upset after hearing Mrs. Dubose passed away so, Atticus explains to him what the purpose of his punishment was, “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. It’s 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” (112). Atticus then reveals she was addicted to painkillers but was determined to overcome her addiction before dying. To help her forget about her suffering, he made Jem read to her. In contrast to Jem's impression of courage as violent and hypermasculine, this perspective reframes courage as persistence through difficult times. While at the playground, Cecil Jacobs questions Scout as to why her father is defending an African American. Atticus elaborates on his unpopular decision to defend Tom Robinson. Atticus tells Scout, "For a number of reasons...The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again" (86). Atticus knows Tom Robinson is innocent, and not defending him would be against everything he believes in. Atticus cannot go against his conscience and feels obligated to do the

Atticus shows respect towards Calpurnia by treating her with respect and kindness, despite the racial prejudices of the town. He recognizes her value as a member of his household and as a person and treats her accordingly. For example, he explains to Alexandra that, “...Calpurnia’s not leaving this house until she wants to. You may think otherwise, but I couldn’t have got along without her all these years. She’s a faithful member of this family and you’ll simply have to accept things the way they are…” (155). Aunt Alexandra is trying to get rid of Calpurnia because she feels like she is taking over what should be her role in the family. Calpurnia has been with Attucus’s family forever. He notices how much she does for them and is willing to go against what the town thinks and what Aunt Alexandra wants to stand up for what he knows is right. Atticus also shows courage when he shoots the mad dog. Mr. Tate decides he can’t shoot that well and throws the riffle at Atticus. Atticus says, “I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years–” (109). Although he hasn’t shot a gun in 30 years, he decides to shoot him anyway because if he misses there will be a mad dog running free in the neighborhood. Even though Atticus tries to defend the people of Maycomb, they will always see the little things they don’t like about