schmerp

Schultz, Amber
P3/ Mrs. Winchester
To Kill a Mockingbird Final Draft

Have you ever done something that was challenging or intimidating for you? All throughout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, courage is a message depicted very strongly. Scout and Jem are siblings living in the early 1930’s, and the world is dramatically revolutionizing right in front of their eyes. From a sickly woman in their neighborhood breaking herself of a painful addiction, to the children’s lives later being saved by a seemingly non-existent friend, bravery and audacity seem to rise up everywhere in the Finch children’s’ world. To Kill a Mockingbird shows that courage is about having the strength to combat against injustice and to do what you know is right, even if everyone else thinks it’s wrong. First of all, physical courage is shown. Physical courage is when you do something you may be afraid to do, but if you don’t, it could cause harm to you or others. A perfect example of this is when Boo Radley saves Scout and Jem’s lives. He saves them from Bob Ewell when he tries to hurt them while they are on their way home from the pageant. Atticus says Ewell was “‘out of his mind.’”
Boo had given “[Atticus his] children” because of how he had saved their lives. [276] In Scout’s view, Arthur
Radley’s brave actions were just another gift when she said, “Boo was our neighbor. He gave us . . . our lives. . . . We had given him nothing, and that made me sad.”[278] Although Boo was reclusive and shy, he was a valiant hero. Next, mental courage is portrayed. This kind of courage is when you do something challenging for you mentally, but it improves the emotional and general well-being of you or someone else. This is evident with Mrs. Dubose. Mrs. Dubose overcame her addiction to morphine, although it was difficult and caused her excruciating pain. When she died, Atticus told Scout and Jem that he had them read to her because he “’wanted [them] to see what real courage [was], instead of getting the idea that courage [was] a man with a gun in his hand.’” He had also said that “’Mrs. Dubose won’” because “[Courage] is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.’”
However, he had also mentioned, “’You rarely win, but sometimes you do.’”[112]; This makes Mrs. Dubose even more inspiring because not only was she bold, but she did not let her addiction overwhelm her. She compelled herself to quit, and from that, she departed her life free of her dependence on morphine. On the contrary, cowardice is also displayed. Bob Ewell was a coward. Not only did he cheat Tom
Robinson of his life, but he also made more people suffer for his actions. He bothered Helen Robinson,
Atticus, and Judge Taylor, all because he was falsified in court and everyone knew it; Tom Robinson was therefore accused of a crime he could not have committed. Heck Tate called Ewell “’ [The] kind of [man] you have to shoot before you can say hidy to ‘em.’” He then added, “’ Even then, [he] ain’t worth the bullet it takes to shoot ‘em.’” “’He’d never have met [Atticus] face to face’” and thought killing Atticus’s children would solve his problems and quiet everyone about his incident in court. [269] Ewell was a vile man, and in the end, karma had dealt him the cards he deserved. He was an immoral coward, and earned his penalty. All in all, many fearless individuals disputed the norm of Maycomb County. They all did what they knew was a necessity for the greater good. These courageous citizens are the kind of people we need in our world to make Earth a better place for all mankind.