To Kill a mockingbird: Heroism

The Hero Within The definition of a hero is “A person distinguished by courage, noble deeds, outstanding achievements, etc.”(Students Oxford Canadian Dictionary.) Someone who heroic is “Bold, daring, or characteristic or fit for a hero.” (Students Oxford Canadian Dictionary.) As a hero, you may often face many difficult decisions, which may leave you in the spotlight in order to make a correct choice. Heroes will often feel the choice they made is correct. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harber Lee, many different characters show lots of heroism. The characters I feel that show the most heroism in the novel are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch. Tom Robinson is portrayed as heroic in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird because he stands up for himself, especially in court. Tom Robinson shows he is a hero during the trial because he shows courage during the trial by pleading his case showing that even though he is a Negro he still has freedom of speech. This is also making a stand for all blacks showing they also have rights. A quote that shows this is “Yes suh, I had to pass her place goin to and from the field everyday.” (Lee, 190.) This quote shows Tom telling the truth during the trial, he was brave for standing up for himself and being criticized instead of just listening and not fighting for his life. This is why I believe Tom Robinson is hero in the novel. Next, the next character I believe shows heroism in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird is Boo Radley. Boo is a hero because he saved Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell. Even though rumors were spread about him, he was brave enough to save the children. A quote that shows how boo did this is, ”I made my way along in what I thought was the direction of the road. I was not sure, because I had been turned around so many times. But I found the streetlight. A man was passing under it. The man was walking with staccato steps of someone carrying a load too heavy for him. He was carrying Jem.” (Lee, 63) Boo did this out of his heart, not worrying what people say about him. This is why I believe Boo Radley is a hero.

Finally, the last character I feel is a hero in the novel is Atticus Finch. The most important reason why he is a hero is that he had the courage to defend Tom Robinson during a very cruel time in a very racist society. Instead of not having any trouble with Thom, Atticus out of his good heart chose to defend him. Atticus knows that Negros deserve equal rights. “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (Lee, 75.) In this quote, Atticus is telling Scout why he feels he needs to defend Tom Robinson. This is why I feel Atticus character shows the most heroism throughout the book.

In conclusion, I believe the top three characters that show heroism in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird are Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. I believe this book is still read in schools because it shows students to not be a by stander and to stand up against what they feel is wrong. Each one of these characters shows how bold, daring, and courageous they are throughout the novel. They do truly demonstrate The Hero Within.

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Warner Bros Inc. New York, 1982.