To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

People have different perceptions of courage all the time; some think it is a man with a gun in hand; some see courage as mental strength to persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty; others think courage is an ordinary person, doing extraordinary things; or even standing up for what is right, even if you are standing alone. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is illustrated through the characters of Atticus Finch, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, and Bob Ewell. Atticus and Mrs.Dubose share some of the same characteristics of courage. They both begin an impossible task but give it their all until the end, even if they don't succeed. On the other hand, Bob Ewell shows an immense lack of courage throughout the book by not having the courage to accept the consequences of his own wrong doing. Atticus, Bob Ewell, and Mrs.Dubose each reveal courage in different ways, even if that way is not showing any courage at all. Atticus Finch feels true courage is when " you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through to the end no matter what." (p.112) With this definition of courage, Atticus would be considered an extremely courageous man. Tom Robinson was being accused of raping a white girl during the 1930s in Alabama. Because of the way blacks were treated then, obviously the chances of Tom Robinson walking out of the courthouse innocent were slim to none. When Atticus takes the case of Tom Robinson he says it is the "one case in his lifetime that affects him personally." (p. 76) If he didn't take this case, he felt he couldn't "represent this country in legislature" additionally he said, "I couldn't hold up my head in town I couldn't even tell you and Jem not to do something again."(75) Taking this case took a great deal of courage and made Atticus a target of ridicule for Maycomb County. He was standing up for what he felt was right, and he was almost standing solo. The majority of Maycomb's citizens do not agree with Atticus's actions whatsoever. He was "running a still" in Maycomb, he was referred to as a "nigger lover" which was not accepted in society of Alabama in the 1930s(75). In Atticus's own home he was put down for defending a black man. Although Mrs. Merriweather never stated it, she did make her point clear that she felt there were "some good but