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How Is Courage Shown In To Kill A Mockingbird

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John Wayne said that courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. This is true, and it is evident that many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird follow this. To Kill a Mockingbird, a realistic fiction novel by Harper Lee, tells a story from the perspective of a six-year-old Scout about the conflict between a black man who is falsely convicted of rape and a very racist and prejudiced town in the 1930s. Atticus Finch is chosen to prove that Tom Robinson, the falsely convicted man, is not guilty. Atticus teaches his children, Jem and Scout, to not be prejudiced, and the children face backlash from their classmates and, for Scout, their cousin because of their father standing up for a black man. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem shows courage when he disobeys Atticus and stands up for him at the jail when he …show more content…

Jem’s bravery is shown when, shortly after the fight, he rolls up against Scout and attempts to carry her to the end of the road despite his possible injuries from fighting with Ewell (Lee 300-301). The reader can infer that this act is an example of Jem reflecting bravery because Jem is aware of his current situation and that he is in danger, and even knowing this, he still chose to try to get Scout away from Bob Ewell because of his brotherly instincts to protect his sister. Even though Jem’s Courage is displayed multiple times throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, another side of Jem is shown. In chapter 22 after the events of the Tom Robinson trial, Jem shows his empathetic side. During the trial, Jem is confident that Atticus would win the case because of all of the contradictions in Mayella’s testimony and because he thought that the people of Maycomb County were above prejudice. After the trial is over, he learns that the jury voted him guilty. When he learns this, Jem gets very upset. His compassion is shown when the novel states that Jem’s face is covered with angry

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