Atticus Bravery In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is not about killing birds or animal cruelty, as the name might suggest, but about the courage necessary to follow ones morals and resist the community’s undying hatred and prejudice to Negroes. One character in particular that portrays this courage is Atticus. Harper Lee shows Atticus’ bravery time and time again, never ceasing to surprise her readers with new situations of increasing severity. Never showing any sign that he is in difficulty, Atticus shows courage by standing for his beliefs, never hesitating when he knows his course, and not going with the town’s endless flow of racism.

Atticus consistently stood firm while defending his beliefs and morals but never allowed himself to succumb to the temptation of fist fights or verbal abuse. He always took what came his way and calmly attempted to negotiate or make the other party reconsider their actions. His belief was that all people, black and white, were equals. Throughout the story it was evident that he was not just full of words, but meant them all. This is proven by keeping Calpurnia, their black housekeeper, hired
His motions when he went to kill Tim Johnson the dog were described as, “...movements so swift they seemed simultaneous, Atticus’ hand yanked a ball tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder” (106). Another instance that Atticus didn’t hesitate, was when, he thought Jem was the killer of Bob Ewell. The sheriff, Heck, kept telling Atticus that Bob fell on his knife even though it was Arthur Radley. Atticus thought it was just Heck trying to be nice and insisted that there be trial for Jem. Atticus got straight to the point when it happened. He said the, “...it’ll come before county court” (300). He never slowed his pace which is important, because that shows that he does not go with the flow on any moral or habitual