Acts of Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird

In the short story To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee suggests that

in certain situations people have the potential to show acts of courage

In our society it is generally believed that in order for someone to

show courage, they must show it through physical acts of peril. The

only type of courage that is ever heard of or praised is when someone

nearly puts their life at risk to show their bravery. In the short

story To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee suggests that in

certain situations people have the potential to show acts of courage,

great or small. Lee proposes this through characterization, plot and

outcome.

Throughout the novel there are many characters who show that they have

courage. Atticus Finch teaches his children many lessons, and one of

the most significant ones is his lesson on courage. He tries to show

his children what true courage is, and that it can be shown in many

different ways. Atticus shows his own courage when he steps up to

shoot the mad dog, and the children learn something they never knew

about their father. Atticus, however, does not want his children to

feel that what he did was an example of real courage. Perhaps the most

courageous thing Atticus had to do was defending Tom Robinson. The

lesson he teaches Scout is that real courage is shown when you know

you’re beat but you try anyway. “Simply because we were licked a

hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to

win“(76). Atticus knows he will not win the case, but his morals tell

him to try anyway. “…if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in

town”(75). Atticus then applies this same lesson to Jem by explaining

Mrs. Dubose’ situation, and how she showed courage. Mrs. Dubose had a

goal to ...

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...ied, as he accused Atticus of stealing his job, attempted to

break into Judge Taylor’s house, and harassed Helen Robinson. He

reached a new low, however, by going after Jem and Scout. Fortunately,

it was Boo Radley who emerged from his house at the right time to save

the children. After a brief scuffle with Bob, Mr. Arthur managed to

stab him, killing Ewell. His courageous actions saved the children

from possible death at the hands of Bob Ewell, and Scout got to see

Arthur Radley for the first time. In summary, by means of the novel’s

characters, storyline and conclusion, Lee proposes that in a

particular situation, people can discover elements of courage in order

to overcome an obstacle or goal. To Kill A Mockingbird delves into the

ideas of what it means to be truly courageous, and illustrates the

idea that genuine bravery and ambition comes from within.