Examples Of Cowardice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Courage. A hero. Cowardice. Fear. A meager mouse makes your blood run cold. Courage can is said to be a hero’s trait and the key to success. Cowardice is the antagonist, nobody likes it, nobody wishes to be it. And so, in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, cowardice and courage are thundering aspects of the book, displayed by two major characters; Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell.

Courage can only be identified if we know what cowardice is. The dictionary says that cowardice is a lack of courage to face difficulty and danger. One character who displays this lack of courage throughout the book is Bob Ewell. Mr. Ewell is a poor man who lives by the county dump. He has no morals and is intoxicated most of the time. “Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on

and Mahatma Gandhi who stood down to nobody and stood up for their beliefs. All of these daredevils shared a common trait, courage. The ability to overcome any obstacle without fear all while doing what’s right. Atticus Finch would be on that list of heroes had he been real. Atticus Finch showed thundering courage in doing all the gallant jobs the county had. “ ‘I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years---’ Mr. Tate almost threw the rifle at Atticus. ‘I’d feel mighty comfortable if you did now,’ he said.” “...With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous, Atticus’s hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder. The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk…” Atticus uses insane courage to shoot a dog that would have hurt multiple people had he not been stopped. The town sheriff Mr. Tate was being a coward as in letting Atticus take the shot, but Atticus knows what true courage is and that he had to do what was right. Atticus also shows us that virtue when he is set to protect a man in court during a rape trial. “Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” Courage can be perceived as doing what is right but it is also doing what is right in your heart. When Atticus needs to protect the man he goes against the people in the town and does also he