How would you explain or define courage? In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, she describes courage many different ways. The storyline is set during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time of conflict and despair. Many people relied on courage to get them through this tough time and help them up when they have fallen down. Similarly, many of Lee’s characters are courageous throughout the novel. Characters show courage by facing problems head on and by staying hopeful. Three characters who best exemplify courage are Atticus, Jem, and Boo. All throughout the story-line, Atticus displays courage in many ways. One example of courage was him taking the Tom Robinson case. This action is very significant in the novel because Atticus had courage and hope for Tom’s sake during the trial, even when they did not have much of a chance of winning. Another act of courage Atticus shows during the novel is when he shoots the mad dog. Atticus said, “...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 115) Atticus tells Jem this after Mrs. Dubose dies. I believe that …show more content…
One way that Boo exemplifies courage is by saving Jem and Scout from Mr. Ewell. The reason he saved them is because he has a strong love for them as if they were his children, but he does not show it much because his home is his safe place and he likes to stay hidden. Him saving Jem and Scout took a lot of guts because he is not used to being outside of his house, but he was willing to do anything to save the kids. The other way he shows courage is when he put the blanket around Scout during the fire. His courage is similar to the other example because he had to leave his house to do an act of kindness for someone else. This used courage because many people were outside due to the fire, but he still went outside to give Scout a blanket to keep her