Obstacles In To Kill A Mockingbird

Helen Keller once said that “the highest result of education is tolerance. Indeed,ignorant people are often intolerant of other people’s ways of life. However the intolerant can come to at least understand, and hopefully also accept, different ways of life that other may lead.” In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill Mockingbird the leading protagonist is a nine year old girl, Scout Finch. Although it comes early in Scout’s life,this is one lesson about understanding people;that helps transform her later in the novel,To Kill A Mockingbird. Throughout the book Harper Lee writes about Scout Finch,a young girl who is growing up in Maycomb,Alabama, in the 1930s. Over the course of several summers she,along with her brother Jem and friend Dill,face obstacles
and challenges which include figuring out Boo Radley;and trying to understand the injustice of the Tom Robinson trial. With the help of her father, Scout navigates these situations as someone would expect for a 8-9 year old. Atticus tells Scout,“You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view-until you climb into their skin and walk around in it”(30). In the book To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus helps Scout and Jem by providing moral lessons that helps her be prepared for the real world and shape their character. One of the main lessons that Scout and Jem learned was the true meaning of courage. One person who teaches Scout the real meaning of courage is Atticus. Atticus is a good father who always tries to set the right example for his children. His first lesson in courage comes when Scout continually gets in fights in school. He tries to teach her that courage does not mean beating someone up. He tells Scout,“No matter what anybody says to you,don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change…”(76). This lesson shows Scout that real courage comes from within herself. It means to take the higher road even if it’s the most difficult one. Furthermore,when Atticus is appointed the lawyer for Tom Robinson,he exhibits courage. He knows that defending Tom Robinson will be difficult because the way society was during that period of time,and that he’s a black man. Even though he is aware of this he continues to go through with the trial. Atticus says, “Simply because we were all licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win”(76). Again, Atticus is willing to take the road less traveled to do what is right. Atticus exhibits his courage by defending Tom to the best of his ability,showing that all people should be treated equally.
Another way of how courage is portrayed in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird is through Miss.
Dubose. In the book Miss. Dubose reveals herself as a nasty old lady,but in reality she showed real signs of courage leading up to her death. When she died Atticus sits down and explains what happened to Miss. Dubose to Scout and Jem. “She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody. I wanted to show you what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hands”( 148). Atticus reveals to both Scout and Jem that Miss. Dubose showed real courage because even though she was addicted to morphine she wanted to live the rest of her life clean. Miss. Dubose wanted to not let the addiction of morphine have a hold on her entire life;this showed Jem and Scout what the true meaning of courage is. In addition, Atticus is a living example of courage not only through his work with the Tom Robinson case,but also his reaction to Bob Ewell’s threats. During the trial Atticus had been encountered by Mr. Ewell and was harassed by him. When Mr. Ewell accosts Atticus in the street and spits on him Atticus simply responds,“ I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco”(217) He again demonstrates to Scout that it is not proper to act in the same manner as Bob Ewell. He does something much more courageous by walking away from Bob’s threats. Though his understanding of which battles to fight and always doing the right thing no matter what it costs
him,Atticus sets a great example of what it means to be courageous.
In To Kill A Mockingbird one theme that is demonstrated is the idea of real courage.
Atticus played a huge role in showing Scout and Jem the true meaning of courage. A lot of times we see courage displayed in our everyday lives,but never fully understand it. Atticus gave them insight on how Miss. Dubose showed real courage. At first, Scout and Jem were given the sense that Miss. Dubose was a mean old lady, but their thoughts changed after seeing how at the end of her life she was courageous. Some people fight intolerance with weapons and others with violence; Harper Lee fought with intolerance by teaching the true understanding and courage-a most effective
weapon.