How Does Atticus Finch Show Courage

Noori Choudhary

Mrs. Ahart

English 9 Honors

11 January 2022

Atticus Finch; A Man of Unwavering Courage

“Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). Courage is one of the main themes in To Kill a Mockingbird, and the father of the narrator, Atticus Finch, lives up to these standards of courage within society. He is a role model not only for his children but for the entire town of Maycomb, Alabama, and people look up to him for advice. No matter how controversial or contentious the topic, Atticus stands up for what he believes in and doesn’t let others' views hinder him. Through his moral, intellectual, and social courage, Atticus Finch becomes a role model

Social courage is the ability to do things that may be unpopular or looked down upon within society. Being a leader requires a lot of social courage and skills, and because Atticus is a leader in Maycomb, he possesses a lot of social courage. One of the first examples of Atticus showing social courage is when Atticus is stating the closing summary for the case. He says like any institution, “our courts have faults”, but the courts are “great levelers” where “all men are created equal.” (Lee 274). This example clearly portrays Atticus’ social courage, as even though the court is in disapproval as to Atticus’s beliefs, he speaks up knowing he can receive backlash. Another instance of social courage demonstrated by Atticus is when he explains a key concept of Maycomb to Scout. He speaks about even if people were defeated once previously, that is not a reason to keep trying and to win, stating that just because we were “licked a hundred years before” isn’t a reason for us to “not try to win…” (Lee 76) This is Atticus’ principle for defending Tom Robinson in a town of discrimination and inequality. He wants to preach good ideals and morals to his town and change the inequality that is so prevalent in Maycomb,