True courage: As ullistrated in To Kill a Mockingbird

What is true courage? According to Atticus Finch, true courage is “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what” (Lee, 112). Each individual has their own definition of true courage. It can manifest itself in many different forms; it can be through grand, brave acts of heroism or it can be through smaller actions such as standing up for something or someone. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, courage is a very prominent theme. Scout, Jem, and Atticus Finch, amongst other characters, use many different forms of courage to overcome difficult situations.

Any person who stands up for their beliefs despite the consequences is a truly courageous person. When faced with difficult situations, Scout acts courageously by defending Atticus Finch and Walter Cunningham, and by walking Boo Radley home. The first time Scout exhibits courage is when she defends Atticus. One afternoon, her cousin, Francis, calls Atticus a “nigger-lover” (110) and sates that he is “ruinin’ the family” (114). Although Scout isn’t mature enough to understand what Francis is calling Atticus, she knows enough to understand that Francis is insulting him. Scout doesn’t like when others insult Atticus, so she fearlessly defends him. This is a courageous act because she is defending him, despite the personal ramifications her actions may bring to her. A second time Scout acts courageously is when she stands up for Walter Cunningham. At lunch, on the first day of grade one, Miss Caroline Fisher, instructs her students to either go home for lunch or take out their lunches. She sees that Walter does neither, so she questions him about it. Upon finding out that he does not have a lunch with him, nor can...

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...t tells Jem that she thinks there’s a snake under her bed, so Jem courageously goes to check under her bed. Jem soon realizes that “it ain’t a snake” (186), it’s Dill. After getting Dill some food and talking a bit with him, Scout and Dill both decide that it’s best not to tell Atticus that he’s here because they fear that Atticus might send Dill away. But Jem told Atticus anyways, even though he knew it would “[break] the remaining code of […] childhood” (187). This was a courageous act because Jem did what he knew was the right thing to do, despite the negative repercussions his actions may have on him. In difficult situations, like when Jem went back to the Radley house, when he accepted the dare and when he told Atticus on Dill, Jem acted courageously, demonstrating that courage is a prevalent theme in the novel.

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird