Jem’s Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the character of Jem Finch has proved himself to be very courageous. Jem’s courageousness has been obvious since the beginning of the novel. This is especially evident on page 16, when Jem completes his Dill’s dare to touch the Radley house. “Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful.” This tells the reader right from the get-go that Jem is brave, and pushes himself out of his comfort zone. Scout also says on page 14, “In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare.” This tells the reader that Jem has had this courage in him for as long as Scout can remember. Jem has made his courage evident to the reader from very early on, but the reader will still come to …show more content…
For example, Jem Finch is courageous because he accepts punishment for his actions. When Jem comes home after cutting Mrs. Dubose’s camellias, he was said to have: “…sat by the windows, hunched down in a rocking chair, scowling, waiting.” (p.119) Jem knew that when Atticus comes home, he is going to be in trouble. Instead of being panicked, or attempting to cover up his crime or creating an alibi, Jem sits at home, and waits for what is to come. When he is asked is he is responsible for that mess, he replies with: “Yes sir.” (p.119) Without denying his crime, and accepting Atticus’ punishment, Jem shows true, silent courage. This patient and accepting courage is a critical component in his character development throughout the upcoming trial. As the novel progresses, Jem also discovers that having courage means facing his fears. Jem proves himself courageous again
Courage is a deed that can be portrayed in many ways. In the Historical Fiction novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, there are many acts of racism and problematic cases where acts of courage are demonstrated in different and unique ways that can only be deciphered if one reads in between the lines of the words. There are three characters in particular who show courage in diverse ways. First, there is Arthur Radley who anonymously shows courage by performing tasks that cause him to face the outside world where he’s been isolated from for so long. Secondly, there is Scout Finch who demonstrates courage through her adolescent age. Lastly, there is Atticus Finch who displays courage through his selfless and kind actions. Therefore, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses diverse characters to represent different acts of courage.
Courage is when you know you’re beaten. The character Atticus, for instance, who was a seasoned lawyer acted courageous defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping a white girl. Atticus was appointed to defend him. Jem was happy because he thought his father had won the case but Reverend Sykes loathed telling Jem “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…”(Lee 208). Atticus was sure he wasn’t going to win the case, nevertheless he gave it a try. That didn’t stop Atticus from trying to defend his client Tom Robinson. Another part in the novel when Atticus was courageous was when he shot at the man street dog. Heck Tate the Maycomb Sheriff was not as courageous as Atticus so he handed Atticus the air rifles and with one shot Atticus took down the street dog. Miss Maudie says “I saw that, One Shot Finch” (Lee 97). Atticus was referred to as one-shot finch because of his shooting skills. The other incidence in the novel when Atticus portrays courage was when he was not scared when Bob Ewell threatened him. Bob Ewell was the man who accused Atticus’ defendant Tom Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella. Atticus thought Bob Ewell threatened him as some sort of revenge, but unfortunately Atticus was wrong because when Bob Ewell said ...
"Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory." ~John Maxwell. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch), and Atticus Finch display acts of valor that contribute, and in some cases encourage their rectitude. Harper Lee demonstrates that acting courageously can lead to an improved, sustained, or newly developed personal integrity.
To be courageous you cannot be deterred by possible outcomes that may involve danger or pain. To be courageous you have to be more than brave you have to be undaunted and have a heart of a lion. Through Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird courage and determination are embedded through the character’s actions. Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Maycomb County, explains to his son Jem, “I wanted him 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 see if through no matter what.(Lee 149)” Through this quote Harper Lee is trying to convey that, real courage is more than appearance it is a significant action
To begin with, Jem and Scout determine that courage means doing what is right, even if it involves life threatening risks. In chapter eleven, Jem Finch, has ruined the patches of Mrs. Dubose’s lovely camellias. As soon as Atticus has heard of Jem’s little act of rebellion, he gives Mrs. Dubose the opportunity of deciding Jem’s punishment. Specifically, she establishes that Jem shall read to her every day after school. After Jem has finished his retribution, Atticus informs him of Mrs. Dubose’s death. As a result, Atticus speaks of Mrs. Dubose’s bravery. Jem starts to ask his father why he thinks this of Mrs. Dubose. Atticus replies, “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. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee 112). Accordingly, Atticus is trying to show that heroism comes from the people who do what their gut says is right, because that is courage. Mrs. Dubose wanted to die a pure woman instead of someone who had an addiction, which she successfully succeeded in. Another example of courage comes from when Atticus ta...
Atticus defines courage to Jem. "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). A man with a gun, in his eyes, is not a man, but a coward. It takes little character to point a gun and pull a trigger, but it takes mountains of courage to accept a challenge in which you are already defeated. Nothing to do but reverse fate, overturn the thoughts and predictions which stands looking down with a grin upon its face. This feat maybe impossible, but not totally forsaken, for courage prevails over cowardice.
Jem shows courage in his fight with Bob Ewell in the following examples from the book “someone rolled against me and I felt Jem. He was up like a fash of lighning and pulled me with him.” (Harper Lee 262) in this quote
Courage could also be kept quietly inside and quietly be shown. Atticus demonstrated this when he sits in front of the jail protecting Tom Robinson, a black man, when a mob of men come asking about Tom. “Atticus got up from his chair, but he was moving slowly, like an old man”(152). When Jem, Scout, and Dill showed up, outside of the jail late at night where Atticus was, Atticus was scared because he didn’t want the kids seeing what was going on. However, during this moment, instead of taking the chance to show how brave he was to the kids, Atticus didn’t do anything that made him look brave. He didn’t fight the men but instead he was quietly showing his bravery through his action of standing up for a black male against a crowd of men who didn’t think that blacks should be treated equally. Scout learns that standing up for what you believe in is also courage. When Atticus stood up for Tom Robinson, Scout realizes that Atticus has a lot of courage and that he doesn’t care what other people will do to him. Instead of showing his bravery quietly during this event, he bravely stood up for Tom’s rights during the court. He did everything he could to help prove Tom innocent. Scout becomes more mature after learning of the importance of courage because she understands that courage is a skill that she is going to need later on in
Jem's definition of bravery changes as he grows up; he gains insight and experience of the world around him. At the beginning of the story, Jem only thought of bravery as touching the side of the Radley house, only because "in all his life, [he] had never declined a dare. (pg 13)" However, as the story continues, Jem learns about courage from several events. Upon hearing about a trial where a black person's been prosecuted, Atticus decides, as a lawyer, to defend that person. Atticus chose to defend Tom Robinson, an African American, because it's the right thing to do, and no one else wanted to ,or had the bravery to. "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win, (pg 76)" he said to Scout and Jem when Scout asked. Atticus was courageous for doing something just, even though it's not encouraged. Jem also learns a different kind of courage after learning about Mrs. Dubose's fight with a morphine addiction. Jem and Scout disliked Mrs. Dubose because she was quite a mean person. Later, they were glad they didn't have to read to her anymore. Atticus told Jem that Mrs. Dubose simply had her own views on things, and that her fits were from her addiction. Atticus made Jem read to her and explained, "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 According to [Mrs. Dubose's] views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew. (pg 112)" This is similar to Atticus's choice to defend Tom.
In the beginning, Jem has a daredevil sense of courage. Slowly, through the death of Mrs. Dubose, he begins to understand that emotions are part of showing courage. Finally, after the trial, Jem fully understands that emotions, not pure fearlessness, are what makes a person courageous. This evolution also speaks to the readers of To Kill a Mockingbird. The evolution of Jem's bravery shows that bravery isn't macho or based on daredevil-like acts; rather, it is based on intelligence, compassion, and courage. Harper Lee breaks down incorrect and potentially harmful stereotypes about bravery through Jem's own evolution and understanding of bravery. Stereotypes play a large role in a typical teenagers life, if its how you dress or how you talk. We all us stereotyping all the time, without knowing it. We have the equality, and the enemy is us. Jem shows a stereotype of bravery when he learns there is more to being brave then just that. Overall, Jem Finch's growth in what it means to be brave allows readers to break their stereotypes and understand what true bravery consists
The first time Jem shows courage, he is challenged by his best friend Dill to go up and touch the Radley house. Dill said “ I won’t sa you ran out on a dare an’ I’ll swap you the Gray Ghost if you just go up and touch the house”(Lee pg 14 ). This shows courage to Scout and Dill because they thought that if you touch the house you would be poisoned. Even though it did not show courage in Atticus’s definition.
Without courageous people, human society would not progress. This is evident in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, whereby a few heroic individuals inspire transformations in a racist community. One of the characters who shows bravery is Tom Robinson. Even though he knows he will most likely lose, he goes on trial and fights for justice and truth. Another person who displays inner strength is Boo Radley. He is able to break out of his comfort zone and stand up for what is right, despite his fear. The most daring character in the novel is Atticus Finch. Although most of the town is against him, he continues onward and faces hatred with dignity and respect. Each of these extraordinary individuals represent Harper Lee’s belief that real courage is doing the right thing, even if it requires standing up against the majority.
Scout believes at the beginning of the book that courage is all to do with physical feats like fist fighting. Scout and Jem though Atticus was courageous when he shot the mad dog, but Atticus just shrugged it off telling his children that that is not ? real courage?. The children soon see that moral courage is more valuable after Miss Dubose said "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" Chapter 11, Page 113 after they walked past her house.
A key component of bravery is persistence. By enduring the hardships, no matter how difficult, and pushing through, anything is possible. Jem does not understand what bravery truly is. Atticus tries to show him, but he still does not fully get it. By reading to Mrs. Dubose, Jem grasps the lesson. Atticus says, “‘ I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead
From the literature, To kill a mockingbird, Jem represents the idea of bravery and courage throughout the novel, His definition of bravery frequently changes over time. This goes beyond the...