Nelson Mandela said, “...that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” (Greenberg). This perfectly describes one of the themes from Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Most of the characters sometime in the book have to find inner courage to face fear or opposition. However, one figure stands out from all the rest of the characters. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley is the most courageous of all characters in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, because he faced the world even though he is the most timid and thus the most secretive of characters as demonstrated in the book. Some of the major reasons why Boo is the most courageous character
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On Scout and Jem’s way back from the pageant, Bob Ewell, who has threatens to get at Atticus because he defends in court against him, attacks them. Mr. Ewell first attacks Scout and tries to kill her with his knife but her costume for the pageant saves her. He then goes after Jem and manages to catch him and is in the middle of struggling to kill him when Arthur arrives to save the day. In order to save the Finch children, Boo has to kill Bob Ewell with the knife. This is evident when Scout recalls, “Suddenly he was jerked backwards and flung on the ground, almost carrying me with him. I thought, Jem’s up. One's mind works very slowly at times. Stunned, I stood there dumbly. The scuffling noises were dying: someone wheezed and the night was still again” (Lee 301). After killing Bob Ewell. Boo takes an injured Jem back to the Finch house. The killing of Mr. Ewell takes an enormous amount of courage from Arthur Radley because someone could take him to jail, court and the jury could sentence him death because he is a killer. It also takes a tremendous amount of courage because he is facing an armed man. However, like the first two instances, he does this task because he cares about the Finch children and their well being. This is evident when Scout steps into Boo’s shoes on his front porch. “Fall, and the children trotted to and fro around the corner, the day’s woes and triumphs on their …show more content…
The first quote is from Lao Tzu who says, “From caring comes courage” (Greenberg). As shown in the example of the gifts in the tree, the blanket, and the saving of Jem and Scout’s lives, Arthur Radley’s courage comes from the Finch children. All of his courageous act occur for them and the quote help prove that Boo’s caring sparks his courage. Another quote that supports the claim is, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage” (Greenberg). Anais Nin’s quote is very true for Arthur. Boo’s life became fuller when he started to care about Scout and Jem. As a result, he let go of his familiar, his house and his family, and adopted the Finch children into his heart. This takes courage because he is trying something that he hasn’t done in a long while. A quote from N.D. Wilson captures the heart of Boo’s courage. “Sometimes standing against evil is more important than defeating it. The greatest heros stand because it is right to do so, not because they believe they will walk away with their lives. Such selfless courage is a victory in itself (Greenberg). Arthur Radley clearly demonstrates this when he saves the Finch children’s lives from Bob Ewell. Boo rushes into the fight, not knowing if he himself is going to get killed. Instead, he does it because it gives Jem and Scout the chance to get away from Mr. Ewell and save their own lifes. As it says in the quote, it takes great courage to potentially
On Scout and Jem’s way back from the pageant, Bob Ewell, who has threatens to get at Atticus because he defends in court against him, attacks them. Mr. Ewell first attacks Scout and tries to kill her with his knife but her costume for the pageant saves her. He then goes after Jem and manages to catch him and is in the middle of struggling to kill him when Arthur arrives to save the day. In order to save the Finch children, Boo has to kill Bob Ewell with the knife. This is evident when Scout recalls, “Suddenly he was jerked backwards and flung on the ground, almost carrying me with him. I thought, Jem’s up. One's mind works very slowly at times. Stunned, I stood there dumbly. The scuffling noises were dying: someone wheezed and the night was still again” (Lee 301). After killing Bob Ewell. Boo takes an injured Jem back to the Finch house. The killing of Mr. Ewell takes an enormous amount of courage from Arthur Radley because someone could take him to jail, court and the jury could sentence him death because he is a killer. It also takes a tremendous amount of courage because he is facing an armed man. However, like the first two instances, he does this task because he cares about the Finch children and their well being. This is evident when Scout steps into Boo’s shoes on his front porch. “Fall, and the children trotted to and fro around the corner, the day’s woes and triumphs on their …show more content…
The first quote is from Lao Tzu who says, “From caring comes courage” (Greenberg). As shown in the example of the gifts in the tree, the blanket, and the saving of Jem and Scout’s lives, Arthur Radley’s courage comes from the Finch children. All of his courageous act occur for them and the quote help prove that Boo’s caring sparks his courage. Another quote that supports the claim is, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage” (Greenberg). Anais Nin’s quote is very true for Arthur. Boo’s life became fuller when he started to care about Scout and Jem. As a result, he let go of his familiar, his house and his family, and adopted the Finch children into his heart. This takes courage because he is trying something that he hasn’t done in a long while. A quote from N.D. Wilson captures the heart of Boo’s courage. “Sometimes standing against evil is more important than defeating it. The greatest heros stand because it is right to do so, not because they believe they will walk away with their lives. Such selfless courage is a victory in itself (Greenberg). Arthur Radley clearly demonstrates this when he saves the Finch children’s lives from Bob Ewell. Boo rushes into the fight, not knowing if he himself is going to get killed. Instead, he does it because it gives Jem and Scout the chance to get away from Mr. Ewell and save their own lifes. As it says in the quote, it takes great courage to potentially