Courage in to Kill a Mockingbird

The authors of many works of literature define courage in many different ways through the actions of characters that exemplify bravery. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, several of the characters show their bravery and courage. From an adult perspective, Scout Finch tells about the many adventures of herself and her brother. Scout is a free spirit with a tomboy personality, and she follows in her brother's footsteps. Her father, Atticus, has just taken on a serious case as a black man's lawyer, which calls the family to always keep their heads level. This then leads to the family trying to stand up to various people who make it seem that what Atticus is doing is wrong. In this novel, Lee defines courage as persevering even when a negative outcome is expected or when one is afraid of what may happen next, which Lee shows through the characters Atticus, Jem, and Scout.

Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, shows his courage by doing the right thing for his family even though it is unpopular with the town and he is overcoming a self-conflict. He is faced with many hard decisions, but the most prominent in the story is when Atticus takes the case of Tom Robinson. The family lives in a racist town, so a white man taking a black man's case is unheard of. At one point in the novel Scout asks her father if he is going to win the case. To this, Atticus answers "No, honey" (Lee 76). When she asks why he is taking it he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win" (Lee 76). In this quote Atticus is trying teach Scout the even though something already seems to be a predetermined loss before you start, there is no reason why you should not persevere until the outcome is final. Atticus shows true bravery here as he goes against Maycomb, a generally prejudice town, in order to defend Tom. He understands that taking the case will make him an object of scorn and ridicule. Throughout the first part of the book, there are many times when people show their disgust with him for taking Tom Robinson's side by stating their opinions. At this point in time, not many people would believe the words of a black man over a white man. Another reason that he takes the case is to overcome an internal conflict. He says that the main reason he takes the case is because "[He] couldn't represent this county in the legislature" (Lee 75). This is because he believes that a lawyer should take a case even if he thinks he has no chance of winning, because of an unfair advantage. He says this to Scout because he feels the law is supposed to be fair to everyone but if he does not take the case that would not be fair for Tom Robinson. Lee presents Atticus' bravery throughout the book, and when he takes the case of Tom Robinson it shows that he is courageous because he overcomes both an external and internal conflict.

Jem is another character that displays courage by doing two things that frighten him. Jem is never one to give up a dare, but at one point it looks as though he might. When he, Dill and Scout are walking home from somewhere, Dill dares Jem to go and touch the Radley house, and Scout says, "Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back to us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful" (Lee 15). Before this quote, Jem keeps making sure that all that Dill wants him to do is to touch the house. Jem has heard all the rumors about Boo Radley and they terrify him. He believes everything he hears, and because of these rumours, he has created an alternate version or monster out of Boo. Jem touching the house is courageous because he set aside his fears of the gossip that has circulated the town in the past. In the end, his fear of Boo succumbs to his honor and pride and that is why he touches the house. Another example of Jem doing things he is frightened by is when Lee introduces Mrs. Dubose into the story. Jem and Scout are faced with a lot of ridicule toward Atticus, and at one point Jem loses control of his temper. Scout says that "[Jem] had a naturally tranquil disposition" (Lee 102), but when Mrs. Dubose insults his father Scout said, "He simply went mad" (Lee 102). As they walk past her house, Jem grabs Scout's baton and runs around chopping off the