As Nelson Mandela wisely said “ I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee centers around the Finch family and the lessons that both Jem and Scout Finch learn as their father defends a black man accused of rape. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we see the idea of true courage reflected in Jem Finch’s journey. Harper Lee paints a picture of true courage as it is, and Jem Finch takes this lesson to heart as he sees examples of true courage in his life. The beautiful lesson of true courage is introduced to Jem and he begins to understand this concept of true courage when he talks with his father about Mrs. Dubose, after she passed away. As her story unravels in front of him, he learns that Mrs. Dubose was a lifelong morphine addict who was determined to be free from the drug’s grasp before she died. Atticus talks about her struggle and Jem hears that she died as free “as the mountain air,”: “ You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew,” (112). Because she finished what she started and won as well as doing something without letting the consequences stop her, Mrs. Dubose was the first time that Jem experienced this idea of true bravery. Jem, perplexed at the idea of