Examples Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

950 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: “courage” is a word that maintains an unchanging definition that most always provides positive connotations

Courage is a word that most people can not define. Courage means many things in different people’s eyes, but true courage has one definition. True courage is risking what one has, to do what is right. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the most silent character, Boo Radley, has to show real courage many times. Boo must gather up enough real courage to try to make friends, to try to be understood, and to risk his life to save the Finch children. Boo is a character who shows how courage doesn’t need a voice or a strong body behind it. All true courage needs is real motives and real action. Boo is an example of how courage can show without the use of words. He places items, such as a medal, soap dolls, a packet of chewing gum, twine, and a pocket watch in the hole of the Radley tree, for Jem and Scout to have. Mr. Nathan Radley, Boo’s He takes more significant risks, with more prominent consequences, to help the Finch children and the town of Maycomb. By putting gifts in a tree hole, placing a blanket on Scout, and stabbing Bob Ewell Boo shows that real courage is a risky act. He did not act to get the attention that he did not need, but he served merely to benefit others. He saw risks that had consequences, consequences as significant as his livelihood, and took the risks to help others. Boo never had to say a word while doing these acts of justice, but his actions showed his courage. Demonstrated so blatantly, Boo shows how real courage can be understood by people of all ages, like Atticus and his children. True courage is the action of risking what one has, to do what they know is right. Boo is the embodiment of what it means to have the real courage and help others, and Boo teaches the life lesson of doing something to help others when someone can. Even if a person would be risking their comfort, they should try their best to have the courage and do what is

Show More
Related

  • How Does Arthur Radley Show Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Courage is the ladder on which other themes in to kill a mockingbird mount on. With courage people tend to take risks, have strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. How many times have you considered yourself as courageous? At the end of the novel, you see reasons why being courageous could help you as a reader live a better and braver life. In Conclusion, courage is the foundation of integrity.

    Read More

  • Human Inequalities of To Kill a Mockinbird by Harper Lee

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Boo Radley never had a chance to show people what he was like, he was portrayed as the bad guy by his dad, Boo is victimized by people because he can't stand up for himself so therefore he is considered the “bad guy”. Throughout the remainder of the book Boo shows his honest self when he leaves gifts for Scout and Jem, when he puts a blanket over Scout, and specially when he saves Scout and Jem from Mr.Ewell. It is obvious that he is a nice person and just wants to help, but of course his social standing and past is the only thing people can see.... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Shows Doing Right is not Always Easy

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the novel Atticus, Boo and Jem demonstrate, through actions, the important theme that everyone is brave in their own way. Atticus Finch shows through his actions that bravery can show up in many different ways. Although he lives in Alabama, surrounded by racists, Atticus shows extreme bravery in the way he defends Tom Robinson. Not only does Atticus defend Tom Robinson’s case in the courtroom, he also pours his heart and soul into protecting Robinson and his whole family from the angry mobs of Maycomb. When Atticus explains to Scout and Jem, “I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again,” he models bravery and the importance of doing the right thing even under the most difficult circumstances (Lee 75).

    Read More

  • Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    "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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Rumors In To Kill A Mockingbird

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    But Boo tends to be a misunderstood character, just like the mockingbird. In chapter 28, when Jem and Scout were walking back home from school, they took the shortcut which happened to be pitch black. Jem heard a sound which alerted them. At first Jem thought it was Cecil Jacobs (a boy who liked to pull jokes on Jem and Scout), but then they realized it was someone else. They heard footsteps running after them to find that it was a grown man. Jem called out to Scout to run but she fell due to her costume.When Scout finally got back up to find Jem, the man squeezed her until she could barely breathe. Worriedly, Scout called out for Jem but didn’t get a response. She saw two men underneath the tree besides Jem and herself. She called out “Atticus?” but there was no answer once again. She noticed a man laying the ground that had the awful essence of booze, she got up and made her way over the road, and within the light of the street lamp Scout sees a man carrying Jem. The man headed towards the Finch house, where Atticus let him in. Scout eventually realized that “the man” was no other than Mr. Arthur or commonly referred to as Boo Radley. Mr. Arthur, despite his poor perception of

    Read More

  • Absolutely True Courage

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book Boo Radley is their neighbor and from what Scout has heard about him he is not nice at all. One day Scout rolled down the hill right into the Radley house. “Through all the head-shaking, quelling of nausea and Jem yelling, I had heard another sound, so low I could not have heard it from the sidewalk someone inside the house was laughing. And it was almost certainly Boo.” said Scout. (Lee, 41) This is an example of courage without purpose. At the end of the book Scout walks Boo home and realizes that he isn’t as scary as she thinks he is. Atticus put so much courage into defending Tom Robinson even when he knew that people would judge Tom Robinson he still helped him. One day Atticus saw someone’s house on fire and it was Ms. Maudie’s. Atticus knew that Ms. Maudie had a favorite chair so he risked his life by going into the fire and saving her chair. That showed courage because he didn’t have to go out of his way and do that but he knew that she loved that chair so he wanted to save it for her. Scout and Atticus showed courage because they did things they needed to do but didn’t want to

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: Boo and Tom Misunderstood

    1066 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the story progresses, Boo becomes more of a symbol of kindness and bravery than that of the "town freak" which he is made out to be. Boo leaves presents for the children in the hollow trunk of an old tree, as well as covers Scout with a blanket during Miss Maudie's fire. However, it is not until he saves Jem and Scout's life from the hands of the deranged Mr. Ewell, that Boo shows his true heroic character. Even though Boo is a physically weaker man, he shows no fear when it comes to protecting Jem and Scout's life.

    Read More

  • How Do Children Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the case of Scout and Jem, they believed that Boo Radley, who is an outcast of Maycomb, possesses a horrific appearance, and that he is a savage, "he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained." However, as the story progresses, it is revealed that Boo is actually a kind-hearted person who has not done anybody wrong, but unfortunately, he was ruined by the hands of his family. Thus, Boo is an example of a mockingbird, as mentioned by Atticus. The disclosing of the character of Boo demonstrates Scout and Jem's loss of innocence. They can no longer see Boo as a mysterious threat in their life, instead they saw Boo as a person. "...he's crazy..but Atticus I swear to God he ain't ever harmed us, he coulda cut my throat...but he mend my pants instead..." In a way, Boo serves as a symbol of the transition of Scout and Jem's maturity, as the kids exhibit their ability to empathize with

    Read More

  • Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    2031 Words  | 5 Pages

    Boo Radley is the next door neighbor of the Finch’s. He is an outsider of the community, because he does not leave the house. He got in some trouble as a teenager, so his father locked him up inside the house. After his father died, his brother moved in with him. While Boo was locked up inside is house, the people of Maycomb County made up stories about him. The legend of Boo Radley was well-known to the people of Maycomb. Jem describes Boo, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” (Lee ). Boo is an innocent character because all he does stay inside his own house, and does not bother anybody. Yet the entire town believes that he could be a murderer. Harper Lee is showing that if you do not fit into southern society, they will make you into an outsider and a bad legend. Another example of Boo Radley being an innocent character is when he gives a blanket to Scout. Miss Maudie Atkinson, one of the Finch’s neighbors, had a house fire. Atticus (Scout and Jem’s father) woke up the kids and made them go outside, in case the fire spread to their house. While Scout was not looking someone gave her a blanket, “‘Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.’ ‘Thank who?’ I asked. ‘Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.’”(Lee ). Boo Radley is an innocent character because he helped warm up Scout in the cold, yet Scout was still scared that Boo had been near here. Harper Lee is showing us that Boo could do a nice thing, and yet Scout would still be scared because of his reputation. Finally, another

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Quotes To Show Courage

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Courage is not something that we are born with, it is a skill that takes time to learn and only a few are lucky enough to have it. To Kill a Mockingbird is not only about life in a world full of hate, it is about standing up for anyone’s beliefs being brave enough to do it. In this story, Harper Lee says “Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing 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). In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates courage through Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose, and Arthur Radley.

    Read More

  • Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    Courage exists in several forms in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. As defined by Atticus Finch, real courage "…when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (149). The novel explores the how this real courage can be shown in different ways through the lives of many characters in Maycomb, particularly, Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. Their courage is evident through their lifestyle, actions, and beliefs.

    Read More

  • How Is Boo Radley Courageous

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    Despite what people say about him, he shows that he is kind, reclusive, and courageous. He is kind by folding Jem’s pants. He is reclusive by staying inside his house. He is also courageous by saving Jem and Scout. Boo is a important person in To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. The reason he is, is because without him Jem wouldn’t have his pants and Jem and Scout would be dead and Bob Ewell would be alive. That shows that Boo Radley is a kind, reclusive, and a courageous person, also is

    Read More

  • Courage in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel.

    Read More

  • Why Is Boo Radley Misunderstood In To Kill A Mockingbird

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    Among the many plots within the story, many of them surround Boo Radley or attempting to have Boo Radley come out of his house. In these stories show Jem, Scout, and Dill are terrified of the Radley house and what be inside. However, they are mistaken, for Boo Radley wants to do the exact opposite of scaring the children. For example, Boo tries to show friendship to Scout and Jem by leaving them gifts in the tree outside of his house. These gifts include dolls, gum, a knife, a watch, etc. Boo also is thought to have wrapped Scout in a blanket during the chapter in which Miss Maudie’s house had burned down. Boo Radley is thought to have done it because Atticus says “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.” (Lee 96) supporting the fact that Boo Radley was looking out for Scout. Lastly, Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem when they were attacked by Bob Ewell. This heroic effort was not only full of care, but also, full of

    Read More

More about Examples Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

Open Document