To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis

Mark Twain once said “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.”. There are plenty of ways moral courage is showcased in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, especially through different uses of literary elements. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated by the story’s main character Jean Louise, who goes by the ]nickname Scout. The story takes place in a small town called Maycomb in Alabama during the Great Depression and reveals the growth of the children, especially Scout, throughout the novel. This novel includes a plot and a subplot. The plot of the story deals with Scout’s father, Atticus taking the case of a black man named Tom Robinson who is being accused of raping a white

Within many of these literary elements, Harper Lee is able to evolve moral courage. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses imagery and conflict to develop moral courage.

Conflict is used to develop moral courage in this novel through a handful of ways. As stated before, the plot of this story is the Tom Robinson case. Atticus shows moral courage when he agrees to take the Tom Robinson case. “Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. You hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change… it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning.”. During the time period in which the Finches lived there was segregation, discrimination and racism against African Americans, especially in the south. Atticus is displaying moral courage in this

Lee used imagery in this novel to also help develop moral courage. This can be seen throughout the novel. The imagery used during the chapter in which Atticus shoots the mad dog helps people intently envision what is happening in that moment while also describing the moral courage. “With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous, Atticus’s hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder. The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap.” Moral Courage is shown in this quote when Atticus protects that people in his community by shooting the mad dog before it caused any mayhem. Another event in the novel that could’ve caused the readers to become shocked was when Miss Maudie’s house caught on fire. “The men of Maycomb, in all degrees of dress and undress, took furniture from Miss Maudie’s house to a yard across the street. I saw Atticus carrying Miss Maudie’s heavy oak rocking chair, and thought it was sensible of him to save what she valued most.” By helping save Miss Maudie’s furniture when her house caught on fire, the characters are showing moral courage. Helping others in their time of need is a good thing to do and that is exactly what they