To kill a mocking bird

"Courage is not a man with a gun in your hand it's knowing 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 " said Atticus finch to his son Jem. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee courage is a main personality trait portrayed by Atticus and Scout . There are many scenarios in the story where courage is shown in the story which occurs in Maycomb a town in the Deep South Alabama during the 1930's . Throughout the novel courage takes place when people are fighting , standing up for what they believe in or just breathing. Courage is not one putting fear into someone's heart but standing up for what you believe in whether it's wrong or right . To begin with courage is something you can portray when standing up for what you believe in . For instance in the novel Atticus was the rare symbol of courage in maycomb . Atticus defending the Tom Robinson case despite what anyone else in the community had to say . Atticus was not only being courageous by defending the case but because he stood up for what he believed in not only for himself but to set an example for his children . " Because I could never ask you to mind me again scout simply by the nature of the work every lawyer gets at least one case that affects him personally this ones mines I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school , but do one thing for me if you will : you just hold your head high and keep those fists down . No matter what anybody says to you don't .let em get your host try fighting with your head for a change " ( page 76 ) . This quote exhibits Atticus coming to term with the fact that he's going to have to turn the other cheek and not let their foolishness get to him. Furthermore in the novel courage is put on display when one is just fighting. One sunny day at school Scout Atticus’s daughter gets into an altercation with a boy named cecil that almost turned physical. An altercation pertaining her dad Atticus defending the Tom Robinson case. Scout realizes that she must be mature about the situation and be courageous enough to walk away. “Somehow if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down. Atticus rarely asked Jem and me to do something for him I can take being a coward for him” Scout exclaims after walking away from the scene (pg 77). This quote depicts that sometimes being a coward is actually being courageous. Scout’s way of seeing the situation was different from most of the kids there who say her as a coward for walking away not a courageous person who was mature about what was happening. To conclude with Atticus’s courageousness is tested when he is only breathing. Nevertheless after Atticus lost the Tom Robinson case and Tom Robinson was found guilty he got a call saying Tom was shot and killed after trying to escape the prison he was in. Like the kind hearted courageous person Atticus is he goes to break the news to the Robinson family while doing so Bob Ewell the father of the girl who was allegedly raped by Tom Robinson spits in Atticus’s face and instead of Atticus fighting him he decides to be courageous and leave it alone only muttering a few words . “ I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco .’’ Atticus is not only being Courageous by not retaliating but by knowing that you would have to be a coward to do something like that with Atticus isn’t. Courage is seen throughout the novel To Kill a MockingBird as an aspect that is so rare to see but when seen it comes out in full effect . Atticus and Scout both paint us a clear picture of what courage is and how you can display the trait.