What Is Atticus Finch Courageous In To Kill A Mockingbird

Imagine you were put in a tough position, where everybody was cheating on a math test, and you are the one person who knows it is the right thing not to cheat on the test. Would you give in and cheat just because the other people are cheating? Or would you ignore them and take the test fairly because you know it's the right thing to do? Although this book’s issues go well beyond simply cheating on a math test. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows us how the characters are fighting against racism by not following where the path may lead, but by carving their own path.
Atticus Finch is being courageous in his fight against racism, by treating his kids with honor and respect when he tells his children the truth about racism. When …show more content…
Scout is asking Atticus if he is an n-lover and if all lawyers defend black people. Scout then asks if Atticus is going to win the case, he replies “Simply because we were licked hundreds of years ago before we started is no reason for us not to try to win”. Atticus was right, everybody in Maycomb knew that Tom would be declared guilty, even though he was clearly innocent. Although Atticus knows he will not win, he is not going to go down without a fight. He is trying to make a stand to everybody, even though he will loose, he is making a statement to everybody in Maycomb, that he is still defending a black man with his heart and soul. Atticus not only carves his own path, but makes a trail for other people to follow, and people do follow it. Tom is moved to a jail in Maycomb, and a mob, led by Walter Cunningham, go to the jail, with intentions to hang Tom. However, they are met by Atticus simply sitting by the cell, not armed with any weapon. The mob is trying to get to Tom, but Atticus stops them and gets into a heated argument with Mr. Cunningham. Atticus says to him “You can turn around and go home again, Walter” Atticus is being very courageous during this whole incident. Atticus was foolish not to come without any protection because he could have been easily harmed or even killed. This was all to protect Tom Robinson, a man who would be declared guilty no matter …show more content…
During the missionary circle, Mrs. Merriwether says “...Just ruins your day to have one of em’ in the kitchen…” Mrs. Merriweather is regarding the African- American maids that work in homes of white people. A great amount of them are purposely not working as hard anymore, although they did not boycott working because they were too fearful of losing their jobs. This act is just a speck in the universe, but forged a trail for other people to follow, as did Atticus in his fight against racism. People like Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King who followed their trail, and soon earn civil rights for black people. This is an example of the African American community trying very hard to stand up for themselves in Maycomb. Unfortunately, this is the greatest form of protest that they are able to do because they do not have equal rights or much power. Maycomb puts in a lot of effort to keep it that way too. For example, there are parts of town where all of the white people live, and where all of the black people live. The churches are also segregated, and the white church is much higher quality than the black church, this goes with the residential areas too. The black people have no opportunities to hold good job positions, all of them either work