Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird
In Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage can be shown in several diverse aspects, such as Mrs. Dubose, Jem, Atticus and Maycomb County itself.
The first courageous character in the novel known for her great moral courage is Mrs. Dubose. She was addicted to morphine as a painkiller prescribed by her doctor for many years. Despite her illness Mrs. Dubose no longer wanted to continue to use her medication to make things easier. She persevered, choosing to, "die beholden to nothing and no one", showing her sheer determination and will to live. Behind Mrs. Dubose’s vulgar series of withdrawal outbursts lied true moral courage. Upon the death of Mrs. Dubose, Atticus also mentioned that "she won", not by having a gun in her hands, but with her sheer will power and determination, hoping that Jem and Scout would be able to respect the courageous woman she was. Instead of using a character such as Miss Maudie to portray this side of courage she used Mrs. Dubose, making Mrs. Dubose an interesting and easily misunderstood character with conflicting characteristics, but none the less Lee also shows that there is goodness in everyone, despite their evil natures.
Another character that showed a different aspect of courage was Jem tho, his perceptions of courage changed through the progress of chapter 1 – 16, showing his maturity thro age. In the beginning Scout mentioned that Jem had "never declined a dare" in his entire life, showing his childlike perceptions of courage. In addition, he "loved his honor more than his head", which reveals his foolishness rather than his bravery, because he accepts dares and never really thinks of consequences of performing a dare. Later on in the chapters Jem began to show acts of honorable courage, like when Dill was found hiding under Scout's bed when he ran from home, Jems first reaction was to inform Atticus, because Dill "ought to let your [his] mother know where you are [he was]". This was a turning point for Jem, because he was able to put himself in the shoes of Dill's parents and understand that they would be worried.
The last character who portrayed courage in this novel was Atticus, whom is a principled lawyer. Despite being called "nigger-lover" by many people in Maycomb, he still had the courage to defend Tom Robinson trial. Despite also having "one black man's words" as evidence against the Ewells, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. Another incident of Atticus' bravery was seen during the mob confrontation when he was threatened by Mr. Cunningham and his gang, Atticus still remained strong. If it wasn’t for Scout's innocence which dispersed the tension, it could have ended differently.
Maycomb County also presents particular forms of courage, as illustrated by the scene of the fire breaking out in Miss Maudie's home. The people of maycomb without hesitation, helped to shift furniture to a yard across her house, because the people of Maycomb, who just woke up from sleep, regardless of how they were dressed went to help Miss Maudie, exemplifying the courage and unity in Maycomb, showing once again that there is good in everyone, despite the many flaws of Maycomb (such as the ethnocentrism countless displayed), the people are courageous and helpful in times of crisis.
In Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is seen in different qualities and quantities, but none the less a noticeable characteristic among the society in this novel.