Preview

How Does Atticus Show Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
330 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Atticus Show Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is a theme shown by many characters in

many different ways. Courage is used a lot in this novel by a lot of characters. There are three

characters that show courage in this novel. They are Atticus, Jem and Boo Radley. Courage is

shown and used by these three characters.

Atticus shows courage by defending Tom Robinson, not arguing or fighting Bob Ewell

and shooting the dog that had rabies. Defending Tom was a moment when he showed courage,

even though the most of the town was against Tom. Atticus also showed courage by not

messing with or fighting Bob Ewell. It is good that Atticus also didn’t fight him so it wouldn’t start

any more problems. Atticus is one of the main characters that

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

    "'I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what"'(112).Words of Atticus, from Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird. A story narrated by Scout, Atticus' daughter, about the events that occurred in a small southern town during the great depression. The racism abounded in this town, like in every other at the time, but something unexpected happened when a girl accused a black man of raping her. Nobody imagined that with the help of the enormous courage of Tom Robinson (the accused) and Atticus Finch (his lawyer),the whole town would learn a great life lesson. Atticus and…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch shows courage by standing up for his beliefs and by respecting values that he does not share.…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus also demonstrates moral courage. Moral courage is the courage to take action for moral reasons despite the risk of adverse consequences. Courage is required to take action when one has doubts or fears about the consequences. Moral courage therefore involves careful thought and action. Atticus's moral and physical courage is evident when he makes the decision to stand guard over Tom Robinson alone at the jail. He risks his own personal safety when he faces the lynch mob though he claims that they only " 'might have hurt me a little.' (Lee…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    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

    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

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, the author of the book, states on page 315, “They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over”. In the other words, Tom Robinson is displaying his courageousness by having the courage to try and escape the prison, while being in plain sight of the guards. It is understandable why the opposing side argues that Tom shows the most courage because he acts suddenly while putting his life on the line to try and escape to freedom. Though it is a valid argument that Tom Robinson does show some type of courage, it is also evidently proven that Atticus shows more courage that actually proves a purpose for being used or shown.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Moral courage is when one has the moral strength to stand up for what he or she believes to be right. This type of courage is best shown by Atticus; a lawyer and the father of both Scout and Jem. After Christmas, Scout overhears Atticus talking to her uncle Jack about the upcoming trial. “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand,” Atticus explains to Jack (Lee 117). Atticus understands that he will lose the Tom Robison case simply because people are prejudiced and racist. Furthermore Atticus knows that the existing prejudice and racism in his community will cause the people to judge him and his family. Despite the social consequences Atticus decides to ignore the opinions of other and to do what he knows to be right. He explains the reasoning behind his choice when Jem and Scout ask him why he would defend Tom when everyone else says that it is wrong. He tells them that “before [he] can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself” (Lee 140). Atticus realises that his own moral values are more important that the opinions of others. Atticus defends Tom because he knows that it is the right thing to do, and he has the moral courage to deal with the…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most of the characters in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", written by Harper Lee, show the theme of courage in different ways. Courage is a difficult virtue for people to emulate in real life. Some believe that courage is when people have strong bodies and hearts. Others would say it is when people tell the truth directly instead of avoiding it. In this novel, Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose , and Boo Radley are similar in their courageous attitudes by taking multiple risks to stand up for innocent people while they are different in how they demonstrate their courage ; Atticus Finch announces his courage when he stands for what he believes…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom Robinson was a character who demonstrated bravery. Atticus says, “Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One character from To Kill A Mockingbird that shows true courage is Atticus. He first shows this when he shoots a rabid dog with a rifle. “Atticus pushed his glasses to his forehead; they slipped down, and he dropped them in the street. In the silence, I heard them crack. Atticus…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays