How Does Atticus Show Courage

Of the many themes To Kill A Mockingbird and The Help share, one of the most prominent is the theme of courage, when one is not afraid of standing up for what they believe in and doing what they know to be right, even if it could harm them. Some perfect examples of this courage are all of the maids from The Help who shared their stories with Skeeter, knowing there could be trouble as a result. An example of this courage from To Kill A Mockingbird is Atticus, who knows that he and his family might come across some trouble because he is defending Tom Robinson, African-American. But Atticus also knows that it's the right thing to do, so he doesn't let the fear of what people could say or do to him because of his actions stop him. In The Help, many maids, including Aibileen and Minny, tell their stories of being maids and nannies to Skeeter, an aspiring writer. Some have had good experiences with the people they work for, but most have figured out the hard way just how difficult being a maid can be. A few of them share how hard it …show more content…
The most obvious act of courage is when he agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. He knows that this could cause trouble for his family, and no one will agree or support his decision. He also knows that he won't be winning this case, but he does it because he knows it's the right thing to do which requires great courage. Here is a dialogue between Scout and Atticus that shows that even though he knows he won't win the case, he believes that it is still worth it to try: "Atticus, are we going to win it?” “No, honey.” “Then why—” “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus said. (Lee 101). I believe that Atticus hopes to show all of the Maycomb citizens the harm that racial inequality causes by proving that Tom Robinson is an innocent