Heroism “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” This quote was spoken by Arthur Ashe, who was a professional tennis player. In his words, a hero is not someone who is an extraordinary being, but someone who is ordinarily heroic to those around them. This quote relates to the book To Kill A Mockingbird, and some of the characters show the Ashe’s definition of a hero perfectly. In To Kill A Mockingbird the theme of heroism is illustrated through Atticus, Jem, and Boo Radley. In To Kill A Mockingbird the theme of heroism is illustrated through Atticus. Atticus was chosen as the attorney for the case against Tom Robinson, …show more content…
Jem is Scout’s older brother, and even though they fight sometimes, he would still do anything to protect her. At one point in the story, there was a rabid dog on the loose in the neighborhood. Jem steered Scout inside of their house and stayed with her there until Atticus shot it. Jem was taking Scout into account before himself, and immediately took her to safety. After the trial, Jem and Scout were having a conversation about how many types of people there were. Scout said, “I think there is only one type of folks. Folks,” (Lee 227). Jem replied with, “If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?” (Lee 227). In saying this, Jem was trying to bring back to the point that we are all equal, so why aren’t we treating each other that way? Another way that Jem shows heroism is when he and Scout were attacked by Bob Ewell, and Jem was trying to fight him off the get him away from Jem. Jem managed to fight him off until Bob Ewell broke his arm, and then he fell unconscious. In the moments before he blacked out, Jem showed heroism by protecting