Examples Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird Final Essay

When people think of being courageous, what do they think of? The first thing that comes to mind is most likely sky-diving or presenting to the class. Being courageous is much deeper than simple things like that. Being courageous means being able to endure difficult situations, to lead others, and to have a strong mindset. Authors often write about what real courage is because people believe courage is simple acts of “bravery”. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, courage is revealed through the characters Jem and Mrs. Dubose.

Jem’s courage begins slowly when he was first influenced by Dill, and gradually he became the most daring of them all. For example, the second time the trio adventured

It was the shadow of a man with a hat on. At first I thought it was a tree, but there was no wind blowing, and tree-trunks never walked. The back porch was bathed in moonlight, and the shadow, crisp as toast, moved across the porch toward Jem” (53). Jem ran from the Radley House after a rare sight of the Radleys was caught. His pants had vanished into the fence as he was running away and he went back to get them. Jem had the courage to go back to the Radley House fence and get his pants even though he had a frightening run in. Jem was unaware of what the consequences could’ve been if the Radleys had spotted or heard him come back to the house. Jem’s act of bravery shows that risks may need to be taken at times. In addition, When Jem was forced to read to Mrs. Dubose for a month, in return for destroying her camellias, Jem noticed he had been staying there for longer each day, “It suddenly came to me that each day we had been staying a little longer at Mrs. Dubose’s, that the

Dubose had died, Atticus explained to Jem that she was a morphine addict. Mrs. Dubose had been prescribed painkillers by her doctors and had become dependent. Furthermore, when discussing her will, Atticus says to Jem, “She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody. Jem, when you’re as sick as she was, it’s all right to take anything to make it easier, but it wasn’t all right for her. She said she meant to break herself of it before she died, and that’s what she did” (111). Mrs. Dubose was aware she was in addiction and wanted to end it before she died. She wished to leave Earth owing nothing to anyone, and breaking her addiction meant she wasn’t attached to the morphine. Mrs. Dubose communicates strong courage by ending her addiction to not being held to anything. In real-life situations, Mrs. Dubose’s kind of courage is hard to come across. In the most painful part of life, near death, many people will take anything to help themselves get through the day with less pain. Not long after, Atticus handed Jem a candy box that had been left by Mrs. Dubose for him, “Jem opened the box. Inside, surrounded by wads of damp cotton, was a white, waxy, perfect camellia. It was a Snow-on-the-Mountain” (111). The white camellia is a symbol of peace. They are the same flowers that Jem had originally cut down. Mrs. Dubose’s action to give Jem “a sign of peace” is ironic and an act of courage. She died with peace all around