Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Almost all of the characters in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", written by Harper Lee, show the theme of courage in multiple ways. Courage is a difficult concept for people to do in real life. Some believe that courage is when people have strong bodies and hearts. Others would say it is someone who tells the truth instead of avoiding it. In the novel, courage is demonstrated through characters standing up for innocent characters even if it means going to take multiple risks. Harper Lee portrays courage through Atticus Finch; in the form of ethical courage when he stands for what he believes, Mrs. Dubose; in the form of emotional courage and her willingness to stop morphine addiction, and Boo Radley ;in the form of physical courage when …show more content…

He believes in courage on a more intellectual level, not as an idea that can be proved with a weapon. Atticus doesn't want to show that he is courageous for being able to shoot a crazy dog, dead with one shot, but shooting isn't really Atticus' idea of courage. His idea shows that "courage is not a man with a gun in his hand, courage is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose." (Lee,116). Atticus stands for his own beliefs ,of courage, by defending Tom Robinson who is a black man and has been wrongly accused of raping a white woman . Atticus believes in Tom's innocence, so he must defend him against the whole town. Although he knows that it is an unwinnable fight ,his courage allows him to go against people's prejudice in order to stand for his own believes. He teaches his children, Jem and Scout, that being courageous is standing up for what you think is right no matter what others believe "courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what"(Lee, 112). Although Atticus is criticized for what he decides, he bravely denies other peoples' dislike and summons his courage to realize that there is a great need for his involvement to achieve

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