In the book, Atticus and Miss Maudie act as mockingbirds to Jem and Scout. Although, Jem and Scout show immaturity at the beginning of the novel by not respecting elders and not following their fathers lessons, the adult guidance of Atticus and Miss Maudie leads them to realize the importance of showing courage and respecting others.
Courage is an important part of human kindness, especially when defending and supporting people in your own community. In Maycomb, Atticus is a well-known lawyer, and shows courage when he defends an innocent African American man, Tom Robinson. Most other white lawyers in the 1930’s would not support an African American in trial; so Atticus takes a risk to help Tom Robinson because he believes it is the right thing to do. This shows his children to have courage in yourself and in others. The people of Maycomb County do not believe that blacks and whites are