There are many different definitions of courage. Some people say that courage is being able to face their fears. Others say that courage is a person with a strong heart. Being a courageous person means that you are able to bravely face the negative pressures, challenges and adversity that comes in life. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus is a very courageous character, Atticus tried every way to help others were in the need of it. First of all it Atticus bravely faced the racist, prejudice judgment of Maycomb and took Tom Robinson’s case. Secondly, Atticus still takes a fight even though he knew he was still going to lose. Lastly, after losing Tom Robinson’s case Atticus still pursue for justice. Therefore, In Harper’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch moral compass helps him to overcome injustice despite the strong force of racist in the community.
Atticus’s decision to defend Tom Robinson resulted into different conflicts that brought hardship not only for him but also for his family but he was courageous enough to ignore these and continues to defend Tom Robinson. Scout got in a fight with Cecil Jacobs, classmate of Scout, when she was is just defending her father's honor. The children called Atticus Finch a "nigger-lover" for defending Tom Robinson in court. Atticus explains to both his children that the prejudice in Maycomb is a sort of disease afflicting even "good" people (Lee). Atticus' wise and understanding attitude is because he is quite aware of the fact that each human being has positive and negative sides. He always focuses on the good part of the people around him and in each situation he finds excuses for their aggressive or bad deeds.
When Atticus was asked to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused for raping a white woman, people in Maycomb started to talk about it. When Atticus was informed by Scout that people like old Mrs. Dubose have been calling him names “niggers and trash he works for.”. When Scout ask if he isn’t really a “nigger-lover”, as Mrs. Dubose accuses him of being, he responds “I certainly am, I do my best to love everybody.” After she dies, he speaks to Jem and Scout about his admiration for her courage in resisting morphine addiction. Atticus once tells Scout that "you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view". During the night when Atticus visited Tom Robinson in the jail and the mob men came to take Tom Robinson, Atticus is standing by Tom to protect him, Jem wants to do the same for Atticus. While Atticus isn't scared of the mob for his own sake, he is afraid that they'll hurt his kids. When one of the man in the mob asked Jem to go home, he also grabbed Jem roughly by the collar, Jem yanked and nearly off his feet. (Lee 153). Although the mobs can’s hurt Atticus, the children are still pretty vulnerable to the mobs. This is dangerous for Jem and Scout because they might be in great trouble. Atticus decision had resulted into bad thing both to him and his family but he still continues to fight because he knows this is the best thing to do.
Despite the fact that Atticus knows before the trial begins, he's going to lose . Taking the case is a dangerous one for Atticus; he knows that many of the whites living in Maycomb want to see Tom Robinson, an African American accused of raping and beating a white woman, killed but he still does his job to protect Tom at his best. Tom’s case will determine Atticus’ capabilities and his personalities who he really is. When Scout asked Atticus why he is defending Tom Robinson , Atticus replied, “Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess (Lee). Atticus’s personality shows in this experience how it will change Attiucs and the lessons that he will learn, and coming to know who he really is. To represent Tom Robinson in the court, he was able to gain the respect and ire of
To Kill A Mockingbird Jem, Scout, and Dill live in Maycomb, Alabama around the 1930’s, having to struggle through slavery and the poor family’s trying to scrape by. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem, Scout, and Dill have some great courage throughout the novel as they have loyalty in their relationships as seen in character, conflict, and symbolism. The main characters in the story show relationships throughout the novel. There is a tight relationship between Jem, Scout, and Dill; they show courage…
To Kill a Mockingbird In "To Kill a Mockingbird" Scout feels bad at the end of the book because she believes that neighbors give in return and she did not give her neighbor, Boo Radley, anything in return for all of the things that he did for her. This comment comes from a child Scout narrator because she does not fully understand what Jem and her really gave Boo in return. Scout believes that Jem and her never gave anything to Boo in return, but they don’t understand that they gave Boo something…
The quote “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.”(p.283) is a climactic moment in Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird as it represents Scout finally growing up and understanding the significance of seeing things from other people’s perspective. This theme is portrayed in the book through many characters. Atticus, Miss Caroline Fishure, Calpurnia, Miss Dubose and Jem…
“To kill A mockingbird” by Harper Lee, set in the United States, explores a range of universal concepts of the 1930s as well as today which enhances our learning enabling readers to become better global citizens. The book was set during a time when racial tension of black versus white was popular. Racism was very common during this difficult time and Harper Lee emphasises this issue through the young Innocent eyes of Scout. In Maycomb, a small, old country town in the south of USA, an elevation of…
Molly Fowler English, Hour 1 Baranoski March 9, 2015 Throughout the story of To Kill a Mockingbird , Scout speaks quite highly, while sometimes lowly, of her brother, Jem. She’s always looking up to him for one reason or another, and is constantly interested in what he is doing, wanting to stick by him at all times and joining him on his life journeys taking them both up and down. Although Scout explains her own thoughts on the events taking place, they could also be her opinion on anothers story…
through the novel innocence is experienced. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, symbolism plays an important role. There is one symbol that Harper Lee incorporated into the novel and that helps develop ideas by Scout and Jem; a mockingbird. In my life I have gone through many situations where I have been innocent and it has moved on to experience. Multiple characters in this novel are innocent but their innocence is destroyed by evil. The mockingbird is the symbolism of the innocence in this case…
Situations Every one deals with situations differently, and I’ll show you in the reading, in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” and in my own personal experience, that people deal with situations differently. In the reading Carol is faced with a situation where everyone compares her to her sister Elena everyone tells her, to be more like her. As much as she tries to be more like her everyone just puts Carol down because she isn’t like her, the only place she feels like she is wanted is in school…
thing based on their skin complexion. The history of man is severely tainted and splashed with the racist actions that are once preconceived thoughts. The great barrier of white people and black people is very evident in history. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by the author Harper Lee, the theme of prejudice between the white and the black people is evident. This novel takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. This story is told in the first person and is narrated by Jean Louise…
Nick Bradley Mr. Decaprio English I 11 August, 2014 “To Kill a Mockingbird” “To Kill a Mockingbird”, what can be said about this novel that has not been said already? Written by author Harper Lee, the story is told through the eyes of a young “tom boy” nicknamed Scout Finch. It is interesting to see such a deep novel told through the eyes of such a young child. The story has conflicts at every corner, for example: the altercation with Boo Radley and his father…
other black. By juxtaposing these two characters, Lee proves that justice and compassion reach beyond the boundary of color and human prejudices. The novel's title is a metaphor for both men, each of whom is a mockingbird. In this case however, one mockingbird is shot, the other is forced to kill. Boo and Tom are handicapped men. Lee hints that he may be physically unhealthy, and she makes statements that lead the reader to believe he may be mentally unstable. However, no character sheds any light…