Atticus Is A Hero

Throughout “To Kill A Mockingbird”, many ideas are presented to challenge what courage really is. In the town of Maycomb, Alabama, both bravery and cowardice are prevalent. The people expected to be the heroes are really cowards, and the people expected to be cowards are actually the bravest people you may know. Taking us on many adventures, we actually start to wonder if anyone can be a hero. Through each character, we see both their good and bad qualities. Some are willing to risk their lives for others, while many other people are selfish and ignorant, only caring about what is good for them. It is the simple things like these that make a difference in the end. You have a choice to defy the odds or stay content with the rest. This is shown

Atticus took a risk that required a great deal of courage; he defended a black man in a strictly white town. Many townspeople thought the trial would be handed over to the Ewells considering their race, but in return, Atticus did everything in his power to defend Tom Robinson despite everyone's astonishment. He put his own life before someone else's. If that is not courage, there is no telling what the true meaning of it is. Atticus knew he would be shunned by many and would get a great deal of disapproving glares, but he defended Tom Robinson anyway because he knew it was the right thing. ¨Gentleman, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty¨ (Shmoop Editorial Team). The quote shows Atticus eagerness to win the case to not only prove a point but also for the greater good. Not only was Atticus the only man who showed courage, Boo Radley also showed a great deal of courage. He helped save the kids the night Bob Ewell attacked them. In doing so, he knew he could potentially be hurt himself, or be caught out of the house and start a whole new predicament. ¨A man was passing under it. The man was walking with the staccato steps of someone carrying a load too heavy for him. He was going around the corner. He was carrying Jem. . . . 'Hey Boo,¨ I said. . . . Before he went inside, he stopped in front of Boo Radley. 'Thank you for my children, Arthur,' he said.¨ (Lee 352-370) If Boo Radley had not been able to face his fears, he could have still been stuck in his house, with no telling if the children would be safe. Lee shows courage from men you would never have believed willing of these actions. Once again, showing it