Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

In Harper Lee’s gothic-like novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a small, “old…tired town” (5) is portrayed by the narrator, Scout. As she and her brother grow up, they learn more about the world around them. Throughout experiences that teach the children important life lessons, Lee weaves in the theme of courage, developed by two significant literary strategies: conflict and symbolism. Harper Lee produces a character, Atticus. He is the loving father of Scout and Jem. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man. Harper Lee adds this conflict to support the theme of courage, and also incorporates Boo Radley, another character into the novel to support the theme through symbolism. Boo Radley has so many rumors revolving around

Tom is a man of color who is accused of raping a nineteen year old girl, Mayella Ewell. Atticus is defending him but Tom is black, so he was never going to stand a chance. Tom “was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (279). Due to the setting of the novel Lee chooses to write in, “Atticus has no case” (276) at defending what most people were saying was “trash” (119). Saying he has no case explains that Atticus is never going to be able to keep Tom out of jail because he is accused of a crime but he is black and Mayella is a young, white girl. When Lee chooses to write a novel taking place in the 30’s, it creates the problem of racism. Due to the current predjudice against Tom, it is brave of Atticus to defend him. He chooses to take on the case and uses “every tool available to free men, to save Tom” (276) but there is no way to make people let Tom walk free. In this conflict, courage is shown because Atticus is going against the town’s extreme predjudice. The town goes as far as having “their [own] church” (136) for different races. Defending Tom is a magnanimous display of courage by Atticus. Even though nobody wants him to defend Tom, he does, creating a slightly

Boo Radley is a main character throughout the novel and is a very significant symbol supporting the theme. He doesn’t like to “come out” (1) of his home because there are rumors that he “drove scissors into his parent’s leg” (12). In the close-knit town, rumors become the “neighborhoorhood legend” (44) and people believe Boo is a criminal. Everyone thinks he stays in his home because “no Radley was going to an asylum” (12) and that he is locked in the basement instead. At first, it seems Boo has to be inside, but after Scout and Jem witness the trial, they realize that “Boo…stayes shut up in his house all the time …because he wants to stay inside” (259). He chooses to be inside because he has no reason to leave. After the trial, Bob Ewell threatens Atticus saying he will “get him if it took [takes] the rest of his life” (247). This leads to him attacking Scout and Jem. During the attack Boo rescues the children and kills Bob Ewell. Even though Boo never leaves his home before this, he gains the courage to leave and save Scout and Jem. He typically chooses not to go outside because of persecution but knows that in order to stand up for what he believes in and save the children he must venture outside. As Harper Lee renders the situation, it is shown that Boo is willing to leave his home when it counts, but that it takes a lot of courage from him. Even if he has a “timid curiosity”