To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird, powerfully written by Harper Lee, is a novel that teaches readers various life lessons. To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama within the 1930s. This decade included The Great Depression which started with the stock market crash in October 1929. During this difficult time period, businesses failed, factories closed, and poor people lost homes, which resulted to them being forced to “live off land”. Racial prejudice and gender bias was alive, although slavery ended in 1864, old ideas were slow to change. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird follows a family of three, Atticus Finch, a widowed father, Jem, a 10 year old boy, and Scout, a 6 year old girl. The lives of these are told by Scout, who tells the

“Atticus’s hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun closer to his shoulder.” (Lee 96) Scout explains how her dad starts a shotgun, brought by Officer Tate, and raises it to shoot Tom Johnson, a neighbor's rabid dog. Atticus exhibits courage by being faced against a rabid dog and only armed with a shotgun. By killing the animal, Atticus protects his family and maid, Calpurnia, despite him being scared of it as well. Atticus’ motivation to be courageous is his family because they could have possibly been attacked by Tom. “This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience--Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship to God if I didn’t try to help that man.” (Lee 104) Mr. Finch appears courageous as he tells his young daughter that he is going to defend a black man for a crime, that may or may not have been committed to a white girl, which already makes him look like a terrible man. During the prejudice time of the 1930s’ in Maycomb, many believed that white people are superior and anyone of a race other than that is not of importance. Atticus shows that he is brave enough to go against his peers opinions’ on people of color and go for his beliefs of equality. Atticus’s motivation to stand up and defend a black man comes from his family, whom he knows he has to set a good example of being a good person

“They’d been sewed up. Not like a lady sewed ‘em, like somethin’ I’d try to do. All crooked. It's almost like---somebody knew you were comin’ back for ‘em.” (Lee 58) Boo is courageous as it is revealed that he was the person who mended Jem’s pants, in which he took a risk in doing. Since Boo was kept away from the outside world as a child, he never had the ability to do spontaneous things. Therefore Boo taking a risk and communicating with Jem and Scout shows he’s not afraid of his journey of being hidden to end. Boos’ motivation for being courageous comes from the locals’ in Maycomb judgement about him being a bad, lonely person. “Boo saw me running instinctively to the bed where Jem was sleeping, for the same shy smile crept across his face.” (Lee 271) Scouts says this after Boo is finally brave enough to allow others to see him and have himself come out of hiding. Boo showed his courage by taking Jem and Scout back to Atticus after saving them from being attacked by Mr.Ewell, the father of Mayella who accused Tom of raping her. He is also courageous by entering the Finch house and taking a seat, as he had a hard time in the past trusting and opening up. Boo shows fearlessness by letting Scout touch him and walk him home again because he is opening up and being vulnerable towards someone which he never could do before. Boo’s motivation for being