Adversity is looked upon as something everyone wants to avoid, but without hardship there is no hope of learning, growth or discovery. In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Harper Lee demonstrates the way adversity can shape our individuality through the many experiences and challenges each character faces. Through adversity, we can only become stronger and better ourselves. It creates courage inside all of us, determines our personal values and through every experience we are taught self discipline. Harper Lee demonstrates the effects adversity has on our personal values through Atticus and his personal beliefs of courage, justice and truth. Atticus passes his wisdom through Scout and Dill and tells them “you never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee, 85-87). Atticus took a stand against the racism of Maycomb when he defended the Tom Robinson case and experienced the adversity that Maycomb community brought which only strengthened his personal values of justification for Tom Robinson because “the only thing that doesn’t abide …show more content…
Even though the innocent was found guilty and Atticus had lost, he was still “...the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that... we're making a step--it's just a baby-step, but it's a step." (Lee, 289). Even though it was a “baby step”, Maycomb community shared personal growth through the court case. Scout also take’s on personal growth throughout her series of fights, but grows past these experiences after falling witness to the injustice Uncle Jack brought and learns fighting is not the answer when Atticus tells her “try fighting with your head for a change… it’s a good one even if it does resist learning” (Lee,