Preview

Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1178 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird
Theme Essay There are people who have to face their fears everyday and everywhere. Fears such as standing up to a bully or speaking out an opinion that is rather unpopular requires courage to face. Courage can make someone feel stronger inside and allows them to have faith in their actions. The subject of courage leads to a common theme portrayed through specific events throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, which is a story based in the 1930’s set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama which had a high level of racism. Atticus, a lawyer who is the father of two children named Jem and Scout, participated in a court case for a black man named Tom Robinson who was accused of raping a white, female teenager of a large family, Mayella Ewell. Atticus defended the man, knowing he had a high chance of losing the case. He was also aware of all of people, specifically whites, who would dislike him for it and even put him in danger. After Mrs. Dubose’s death, Atticus explained that …show more content…
Courage is supporting someone even though they are widely disliked for who they are, such as their race, but that person decides to take a stand anyway. A courageous person is someone who stands out from the “majority rule” or popular opinion while not letting what others think get to their head. They work towards what they believe is right even though many could disagree. Real courage takes dedication and bravery to change for the better, even though there might be ugly outcomes. Some people have more courage than others along with many other varying characteristics that make every person so unique. Atticus found the beauty in these differences and did not use them against that person, but instead he made light of them. Courageousness is an inevitable aspect for people in society because everyone has to do something he or she does not

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Courage is characterized as mental or moral strength to surpass notions of fear. As demonstrated by Atticus Finch and Mrs Dubose in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the development of courage gives the character’s strength and courage to hold their heads high, while fearing none. Harper Lee depicts the theme of courage incalculable amount of times, detailing courage as “ when you know you’re licked before you being, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” (Chapter 11, Page 124) All of the characters have an alternate kind of perspective of what courage is exactly, which will be examined in depth.…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Harper Lee makes the theme of courage clear and strong in the book “To kill a mockingbird”. Throughout the story there are many demonstrations of courage. Some of these are firstly masked to later be uncovered and at first they may not seem obvious. Some moments of the courage portrayed aren’t physical courage but rather mental and psychological. The story is narrated to us by Scout who is growing up in a small town known as “Maycomb” which is situated in the Southern part of The United States. At the time the novel takes place, racism and segregation was very common in the south and Harper Lee makes this very clear as Maycomb is a stereotypical early twentieth century,…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage is when someone takes pride in what they believe in even if they are alone. In the novel To Kill Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch demonstrates the greatest amount of courage. Atticus took on the rape case of Mayella Ewell defending an african american man Tom Robinson, knowing what the outcome would be.…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “It’s easy to stand with the crowd, it takes courage to stand alone.” The courageous acts of individuals in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird (TKAM) present the determined minds of the characters to stand-alone to positively impact society. Composed in 1960, set in a time in America’s history when African-Americans citizens were discriminated against and were segregated away from the rest of society. Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, where racial prejudice prevailed the characters experienced many trials and tribulations that required great courage to overcome these boundaries. One of the main characters Atticus, a local town lawyer who defended an African-American who was accused of raping a white girl, endeavors throughout the…

    • 217 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus is a man of morals, and he will not allow other people’s opinions to alter his morals. Even though Atticus clearly proves that Tom is innocent, Atticus “could [not] in truth say that [they] had more than a good chance” of winning the case (Lee 242). While Atticus goes to the jail on the night of Tom’s moving, Atticus knows he risks being hurt by the lynch mob. It is solely courage that takes Atticus to the jail even if it means risking danger upon himself. This mob quickly disperses with the help of Scout Finch. Although Atticus’ courage will not show immediate change, his change is more long term. Maycomb will not accept African Americans as equals overnight, but through the brave actions of Atticus this change is not completely out of…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, there is an array of countless problems that must be faced by the citizens of Maycomb. How did they respond? After all, as the town was told, it had nothing to fear but fear itself. At least the more intelligent responded courageously. Relentless determination and perseverance were the only option to keep everything together. One character who shows this is Atticus, who stands up for African Americans inside and outside of court. Even though he’s called names and threatened, he supports Tom and promotes equality. In this novel, courage is defined as standing up for what you believe in. Lee tries to convey the point that readers can improve society using courage. Atticus has real courage because he stands up for equality when he defends Tom, faces danger to protect others, and doesn’t stop when the town’s residents insult him.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus shows courage throughout the novel, especially when he defends Tom Robinson. Atticus defends Tom Robinson as well as he can even though he knows the consequences will be substantial. Atticus is appointed to defend a black man in court whom has been accused of raping a white woman. “ ‘If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it for?’ ‘For a number of reasons,’ “ (Lee, 100). The novel is set in the 1930’s during the great depression. Back then there was still a massive amount of…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you know what courage is? Have you ever done something that involved courage? Or have you seen someone have the courage to do something they possibly didn’t want to do? Well, courage is stepping out of your comfort zone even if it’s frightening; this is shown in To Kill A Mockingbird through pain, social criticism, and moral courage.…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most people may not know this book was based off some of Harper Lee's childhood experiences. The theme is based off many things but main thing is moral courage and how it is used in conflict and characterization. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how conflict and characterization reflected this theme of moral courage through many problems that happened and through many of the characters actions in this novel.…

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One Shot Finch Courage

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “The greatest test of courage on the earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”-R. G. Ingersoll. Courage is a hard thing to have with people, however when you do have it showing it to others can leave a huge impact on them as they witness true courage. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee shows many acts of courage throughout the county of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch, father of Jem and Scout Finch, is a lawyer that deals with racism everyday. Scout and Jem try to get Boo Radley to come out of the house, however Boo has never came out as it is a mystery for sure why he won't come out. IN addition, the lifestyle they live is very different than the way we live today and the way many people use to live. The young girl, Scout,…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage is an important theme throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus, Calpurnia, and Ms. Dubose show courage through controversial actions. Atticus’ defense of a black man, Calpurnia’s decision to take white children to her church, and Ms. Dubose’s choice to stop taking her pain medicine are all courageous actions. True courage is facing difficulty, pain, and judgement without…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Courageous

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is a revisited topic. Atticus Finch shows courage through example as a way to teach his children this meaningful attribute. A large amount of the town he takes residence in dislikes him, but Atticus still treats everyone respectfully and equally. Jem and Scout learn to do the same thing, as every reader of this book should…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage is a universal theme that can mean and be displayed in numerous ways. Atticus displays his courage through the way he handles the obstacles that are thrown at him throughout the book. The showcasing of Atticus’s courageousness is put in place to be an example to his children. He wants his children to see the correct conducts of life by what he beliefs and how he stands for it. As the progression through life goes on, the idea of personal beliefs come into play, but the main focus is how it is integrated and supported in the everyday…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One type of courage that is shown in To Kill a Mockingbird is physical courage; the act of putting one’s self in harm’s way to protect others. This best portrayed by the character Arthur Radley, more commonly known as Boo. Boo is a mysterious man who lives in the Radley place and he is almost never seen outside.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Harper Lee’s autobiographical narrative, To Kill a Mockingbird, characters like Atticus, Dolphus Raymond, and Tom Robinson demonstrate many forms of courageous behavior; in contrast, characters like Bob Ewell demonstrate cowardice. From these characters, Harper Lee’s audience learns that there are many characters in this book that are brave.…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays