How Does Atticus Show Courage

Rebecca Porter
Introduction to Literature
Mrs. Ippolito
March 8, 2014
Courage and its Many Forms in To Kill a Mockingbird
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2014) defines courage as, “the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous. Mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.” The definition of courage may seem broad, but the true meaning of courage is molded to each person throughout the different experiences in our lifetime. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee has given us three characters who show courage in different ways. One of the main characters of this book, Atticus, shows his true courageous form at many points throughout the story. One of the strongest passages that shows the courage and character of this man is,
“First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”(33). This quote shows that Atticus was a much more open minded man during this time period than the other men of Maycomb; by telling his child to look at things from someone else’s point of view, he is showing them that we can never truly understand someone’s actions until we know their reason for those actions; we may not necessarily agree with it, but respecting someone else and their choices is a part of being an adult. Atticus further contributes to his strong character by taking on the case of Tom Robinson; although it seems like a lost cause, Atticus feels in his mind, that not defending Tom Robinson against this horrible false accusation, would be a true injustice to Tom.
Although Atticus took on the task of defending Tom, he also had to defend himself to those around him who weren’t happy with his choice. In Chapter 11, Atticus has a conversation with Scout concerning the opinions of the townspeople of Maycomb and their belief that Atticus is wrong for defending Tom. His response to her was, “They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions. But before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”(120). This quote goes to show that what Atticus is more concerned about is his own beliefs and morals than those of the townspeople; he knows that Tom has been accused of something that he didn’t do, and that he deserves to be defended by someone who will treat him like a man, a human being, not judge him simply based on the color of his
skin. Tom Robinson is a man who shows courage in different ways than Atticus. He wasn’t afraid to respond like a human being to Mayella Ewell; he was courageous enough to help her, knowing that it was against the society’s beliefs for a man of color to be around white people, especially white women. He knew there could and would be consequences if his acts were discovered. He saw that she lived in dire circumstances; she needed help not only with her chores but that she struggled immensely as a victim. Women were marginalized and trivialized as much as people of color during this time period. Tom helped Mayella, even though helping her wasn’t safe; it wasn’t safe for him to act like a human being among other human beings. Tom also shows courage by testifying on his behalf during his trial; even though he knew the jury wouldn’t take the word of a black man over a white woman, he went ahead and testified anyway. At the end of Chapter 11, Atticus says something profound about Mrs. Dubose after her death. Although he intends the meaning of the passage towards her and her character during her sickness, I think that the quote falls true to Tom during his trial as well. Atticus speaks to Jem about his requirement to go and read to Mrs. Dubose; Atticus says, “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. It’s when you know 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.”(128). Tom Robinson went through his trial with honesty and integrity, speaking the truth and testifying regardless what others said. He knew that the outcome was not going to be in his favor, but he fought till the end. Even at the time of his death, Tom fought. He fought the system and knew that regardless of what others said, he was a strong man of upstanding character. Another man of courageous character in this book would be Boo Radley. Boo has the reputation at the beginning of the book as someone who is mentally unstable; someone who stabbed his father with scissors and has been talked about for years after the incident. People in Maycomb weren’t interested in the truth behind this story, they were only interested in the stories their minds created to further vilify Boo and move farther from the truth. But Boo Radley seems to be interested in the happenings of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He left them trinkets in the tree, watched them from the windows, and even sewed a pair of pants when they were ripped on his fence. And, when faced with a violent situation, Boo ignored what everyone else said and stepped up to protect the children. Boo fought Bob Ewell and killed him to save Jem and Scout. In doing so, he risked everything in his life as a hermit; but given the fact that Jem and Scout came out alive and Bob Ewell could hurt no one else, I think Boo would have done this regardless of the outcome. Boo knew those children deserved to be protected, and he risked his own safety and freedom to protect theirs. In conclusion, these three men show many instances of praiseworthy, courageous behavior throughout this book. Atticus is able to do this not by killing or fighting, but by standing up for what he believed in in a civilized way. His strongest motivation throughout this book on the fact that he is a father to two children; he wants to be a good example to his children and to teach them strong moral values. At one point, Scout asks Atticus why he has taken a case he knew he wasn’t going to win; he responds by saying, “For a number of reasons. The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something.”(86). What Atticus is saying is that he cannot teach his kids about justice and standing up for what they believe in if he isn’t willing to do the same. Atticus wants them to see that he can walk down the streets of Maycomb with his head held high because he has done what is right for Tom Robinson. And Tom Robinson has stood up to the people of Maycomb through his injustice, even though he knew that he wouldn’t win his case. Just standing up shows other people of the minority that there is more to life than winning; standing up for yourself shows your own moral character and it will make you live with the regret of not knowing what would happen had you not stood or spoke up. Boo Radley shows his courage through his actions for the children and protecting them at the end of this book. Courage is not something we can easily see in others, but in the case of these three men, courage made them three strong men who faced the oppression of others and continued down the right path.

Works Cited
Definition of courage. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. Obtained from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courage.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York, NY. HarperCollins Publishers. 2002. Print.