Examples Of Conformity In To Kill A Mockingbird

Courage Over Conformity In a world of lions, and tigers, and bears, courage is a light through the forest of life. Only few know the true meaning of courage and its worth. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, great courage is shown in many forms, through characters that are trying to do what right in the face of adversity. Atticus is one of few that sees clearly through the fog hovering over Maycomb County. Ignoring the crude and unsupportive comments thrown at him from Maycomb citizens, Atticus takes Tom's case and explains that if he didn't he would not be able to hold his head up in town. Surrounded by a mob of conformity and intolerance, one sees that Atticus' ability to pursue the right course is unwavering. It seems as though in a town of foggy-minded citizens, Atticus is the lone voice of reason. Like Atticus, Miss Maudie also sees through the fog, and during a ladies luncheon silences Mrs. Merriweather's remarks on
Knowing she was "licked" before she began, Mrs. Dubose resists her yearnings for morphine and dies "beholden to nothing and nobody" (p. 112), winning the epic battle of will power over temptation. Although, the author paints a very ugly portrait of Mrs. Dubose, one sees a silver lining in her strength and self-motivation. It seems that Mrs. Dubose's lesson of bravery was remembered over her cruel and hideous remarks. Similar to Mrs. Dubose's fight with temptation, Scout resists her desire to act with her fists while defending her father's name. Its evident that through her self-restraint Scout takes a step further out of childhood. Scout's lesson is one all learn, that fighting doesn't take you a step further in life, only a step back. Giving into temptation is all to easy, many find it hard to say no, but Scout and Mrs. Dubose find strength in themselves and in others to stand