Standing up to a bully, trying something new, putting one’s life in danger to save another, standing up against prejudice, and facing a fear of public speaking. There are grand acts of courage, and then there are smaller courageous acts that can sometimes go unseen. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird explores different examples of courage through its characters. Mrs. Dubose, Atticus Finch, and Arthur Radley were all presented with opportunities to show courage. Whether these actions be big or small, these characters display the difficulty that it can take to do something courageous.
Mrs. Dubose showed great courage by accepting that attempting to get rid of her morphine addiction would cause her to suffer more pain before her death. Mrs. Dubose …show more content…
Atticus’s courage was evident to others as well. Miss Maudie was one who recognized that it was difficult for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson. One time she told Jem, “…I thought, Atticus won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that” (216). Atticus did what some other men did not want to do, defend a black man. He did not do it because he was expected to. He did it because he wanted to do his best to defend Tom, an innocent man, and show everyone the truth about what really happened. Atticus understood right and wrong. He was willing to put up with all the insults from neighbors, and people from the town to get Tom’s story out in the open. Bob Ewell was among the worst. “Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him” (217). Mr. Ewell was angry about Atticus defending Tom Robinson and he was not afraid to show that. By defending Tom, Atticus put himself and his family in danger. Not only was Mr. Ewell angry about Atticus’s decision to defend the black man that he falsely accused, but others were upset with Atticus as well. This case divided the town into two sides, black and white, and the mentality that “anyone that is not with you, is against you” arose. Atticus was brave and courageous in enduring these insults and the …show more content…
Arthur knew it was the right thing to do when he saved Jem and Scout from Mr. Ewell’s attack. He was accustomed to being stuck in his house and never going outside. The book expounds that, “Mr. Radley’s boy was not seen again for 15 years” (10). For Arthur, being stuck inside his house was normal. He was scared to leave his solitary after fifteen years of being shut out of the real world. It may have been boring, but that was his home. Essentially, this was where he felt comfortable because that was all he knew. To go out of his comfort zone was frightening for him and he did so when he saved Jem and Scout. Scout observed, “His face was as white as his hands…his cheeks were thin…his gray eyes were so colorless I thought he was blind” (270). This is another example of how Boo was never let out of his house. His appearance says a lot about what confinement must have been like. He had no intention of leaving that house, until he had to make the decision between helping two kids or letting them take care of Mr. Ewell by themselves. It would have been much easier for him to stay inside and not put his life in danger to help the Jem and Scout, but instead he recognized that they were helpless against their attacker. Arthur Radley was extremely courageous because he felt it was the right thing to protect Scout and Jem from Bob
Mrs. Dubose showed great courage by accepting that attempting to get rid of her morphine addiction would cause her to suffer more pain before her death. Mrs. Dubose …show more content…
Atticus’s courage was evident to others as well. Miss Maudie was one who recognized that it was difficult for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson. One time she told Jem, “…I thought, Atticus won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that” (216). Atticus did what some other men did not want to do, defend a black man. He did not do it because he was expected to. He did it because he wanted to do his best to defend Tom, an innocent man, and show everyone the truth about what really happened. Atticus understood right and wrong. He was willing to put up with all the insults from neighbors, and people from the town to get Tom’s story out in the open. Bob Ewell was among the worst. “Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him” (217). Mr. Ewell was angry about Atticus defending Tom Robinson and he was not afraid to show that. By defending Tom, Atticus put himself and his family in danger. Not only was Mr. Ewell angry about Atticus’s decision to defend the black man that he falsely accused, but others were upset with Atticus as well. This case divided the town into two sides, black and white, and the mentality that “anyone that is not with you, is against you” arose. Atticus was brave and courageous in enduring these insults and the …show more content…
Arthur knew it was the right thing to do when he saved Jem and Scout from Mr. Ewell’s attack. He was accustomed to being stuck in his house and never going outside. The book expounds that, “Mr. Radley’s boy was not seen again for 15 years” (10). For Arthur, being stuck inside his house was normal. He was scared to leave his solitary after fifteen years of being shut out of the real world. It may have been boring, but that was his home. Essentially, this was where he felt comfortable because that was all he knew. To go out of his comfort zone was frightening for him and he did so when he saved Jem and Scout. Scout observed, “His face was as white as his hands…his cheeks were thin…his gray eyes were so colorless I thought he was blind” (270). This is another example of how Boo was never let out of his house. His appearance says a lot about what confinement must have been like. He had no intention of leaving that house, until he had to make the decision between helping two kids or letting them take care of Mr. Ewell by themselves. It would have been much easier for him to stay inside and not put his life in danger to help the Jem and Scout, but instead he recognized that they were helpless against their attacker. Arthur Radley was extremely courageous because he felt it was the right thing to protect Scout and Jem from Bob