Use Of Bravery In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Bravery in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’.

To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961, which is unsurprising if you take the time to dive into the cause for making this book. To Kill a Mockingbird, based in 1930s Alabama, has many underlying themes and morals displayed throughout the novel. In the To Kill a Mockingbird passage in which there is a confrontation outside the jailhouse between Atticus and a mob, author Harper Lee uses symbolism and confrontation between characters to help develop the theme that you should always be brave and stand up for what you believe in. Firstly, Lee uses the main characters as symbols of different ideas that each character defends. This is shown in the first few dialogues between the characters: “‘You

‘Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.’ ‘You can turn around and go home again, Walter,’ Atticus said pleasantly” (172). Lee uses Atticus as a symbol of justice and confidence in this passage. The men and Atticus were at the county jail because that is where Tom Robinson was being held before the court date. The men were primarily there to kill Tom Robinson, but Atticus stood in their way because he wants Tom alive so there is still a chance he can successfully defend him in court. The interaction is used to show that Atticus solely believes in the judicial system and, most importantly, himself. Similarly, Scout is used by Lee to symbolize peace and innocence. She averts the mob outside the jailhouse by making a simple conversation with a familiar face in the mob, Mr. Cunningham: “‘Hey, Mr. Cunningham. I go to school with Walter. He’s your boy, ain’t he? I beat him up one time, but he was real nice about it. Tell him, hey, won’t you?’” (174). Mr. Cunningham soon noticed her innocence and responded “‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady. Let’s clear out’ he called. ‘Let’s get going, boys’” (175). Scout later realized that she unknowingly ceased the mob’s intentions by