There are many themes in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee. However, one of the most predominate is fighting. This theme is shown by almost all of the characters in the novel.
Atticus has strong views on fighting. He shows this when he taught Jem and Scout to be brave; for instance, when he told Scout to stop fighting the people that mock her Scout had to be brave enough to ignore the harsh remarks and put herself above them. One person that Atticus admired for having real courage is Mrs. Dubose. When Jem ruined her camellias because she verbally hurt him, he made Jem go and read to her. He did this not only because it was a punishment but also because he wanted Jem to learn …show more content…
from her. When Atticus said, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand" This showed how much Atticus respected Mrs. Dubose for trying to overcome her addiction. He also called her "the bravest person I ever knew". Atticus wanted Jem and Scout to know that he was not courageous for being able to shoot a crazy dog dead with one shot; but he is courageous for defending Tom Robinson even though he knew he had lost before he started. He teaches them that being courageous is standing up for what you think is right no matter what others believe.
Courage in moral fighting is also shown within the community. When there is a fire at Miss Maudie's house, the book says that, "The men of Maycomb, in all degrees of dress and undress, took furniture from Miss Maudie's house to a yard across the street". The most important part of this statement is, "in all degrees of dress and undress". This shows that the people that came to help came straight away. If the men would have dressed first, then they would have thought about whether to help or not, but they came straight from their beds to help.
Boo's most courageous act was when he saved Jem and Scout's lives when Bob Ewell attacked them.
When Boo saw that "his children needed him," his courage overrode the town's prejudice and he risked his own life to save Jem and Scout's lives. Heck Tate rewarded him in his acts. Everyone in that house knew that it was Boo who actually killed Bob Ewell, but it was Heck Tate that said Boo was innocent. He did this because he knew what Mr. Ewell did was wrong. This was his way of thanking Boo for saving Atticus’ children. Many people showed courage in this book, but ultimately it is Atticus that teaches us that, “Courage is knowing you’re licked from the start, but starting anyway.”
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch, a strong lawyer and a loving father is a very strong example of this quote. Atticus always does the right thing regardless. He has lost respect and friends this way but has also gained respect. Atticus lives by his own rules and mostly by his conscience.
Atticus defends Tom Robinson, an innocent black man who is being accused of beating and raping 19-year-old Mayella Ewell. He knows he is innocent and knows that if he does not defend Tom nobody else will because he is black. Atticus proves he is not a follower by defending
Tom.
Several children and adults torment Atticus and his family because he is doing the right thing for an innocent black man. The rest of the town does not believe defending someone that is black is the proper thing for a white lawyer to do.
By Atticus sticking up for his beliefs and his morals he and his children are almost killed. His children get so angry with people tormenting them. They do not understand why their father is doing this.
Jem goes over to Mrs. Dubose’s house and chops all of her flowers down because she is talking bad about Atticus. When Atticus hears about this he is very angry. He makes Jem go over to her house to apologize. As punishment, he must read to her until she no longer wants him to read to her.
Atticus teaches his children to respect others even if they do not always respect them. Atticus believes when a person hurts you, you do not hurt them in return or get angry, you must kill them through kindness. That really gets to a people and will make them think. Atticus treats everyone fairly and under
Atticus never lets his children talk bad about others. He always points out the positive values of a person and will tell them to forget the negatives. Also, he teaches his children to never discriminate but to be strong and to solve problems with their head, not with their fist. Scout has a slight problem with this moral.