To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, many characters in the book demonstrate bravery. Three good examples are Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Dolphus Raymond. Atticus Finch was brave for defending a Negro in court because he knew it was the right thing to do. The Negro’s name was Tom Robinson. Tom gets accused of raping a young woman and shows bravery by telling the truth in front of a court house of whites. Dolphus Raymond likes to be known as the town drunk, but many people jump to conclusions about him. He shows bravery as well as being a coward by telling the children the truth about himself. The main character of this story, Atticus Finch, defends an innocent black man who is on trial for rape. Atticus knew the odds were against them, and he still chose to defend the negro. (PG 119) “I’d rather you shoot tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.” Atticus tells the kids not to shoot the Mockingbirds because they just bring musical joy. This symbolizes happiness, killing the Mockingbird would take that away. Atticus shows bravery when he says “Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It’s knowing you’re licked before you begin and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” He believed that even if the odds go against something, that it shows courage by trying. Not admitting defeat represented bravery through courage. Tom Robinson was the Negro character in the book who shows a great amount of bravery by standing up for himself in court to an all-white community. (PG 260) “ Somethin I’m not fitten to say in front of these folks n children to hear.” Atticus says “what did he say Tom? You must tell the jury what he said.” Tom Robinson shut his eyes tight. “He says you god damn whore ill kill ya.” Tom Robinson shows a great deal of bravery and courage by saying this because of the color of his skin; no one will take what he tells them seriously. Tom knows this but shares the truth anyways. (PG 261)“ Mr. Finch, if you was a nigger like me, you’d be scared to.” Tom shows bravery by showing his emotional fear. This helps people see what this man goes through and helps show his innocence. Dolphus Raymond shows bravery by not caring what people think about him. He makes everyone believe he drinks a lot so that people let him live the way that he wants. (PG 268) “ Some folks don’t like the way I live. Now I could say to hell with them, I don’t care if they don’t like it, I do say I don’t care if they don’t like it right enough- But I don’t say to hell with them, ya see?” Dolphus is acting brave, but also like a coward for pushing people away. (PG268) “I try to give em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch on to a reason. When I come to town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond is in the clutches of whiskey- that’s why he won’t change his ways. He can’t help himself, that’s why he lives the way he does.” Dolphus Raymond shows a strange kind of bravery. He acts the way he does to give people a reason to accept how he lives. This is brave but also shows that he is a coward for not trying to live a better life. Dolphus is also brave to tell the truth about himself to children. (PG 268) “Because your children and you understand it.” This also shows that is a to only tell children because they swear to keep it secret. (PG 268) “I ain’t an honest person but it’s mighty helpful to folks.” He is brave for wanting to live the way he lives, but is also a coward for making excuses for his actions and way of life. Bravery, in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is accurately described through the lives of the characters Atticus, Tom and Dolphus. The oddest kind of bravery in this story is shown by Dolphus Raymond. When he ignores what people think about him, he braves through the judging and opinions of others so that he can live the life that he wants. He is also a coward for not trying to live a better life. The Negro, Tom Robinson braves through the disadvantage of being a black man accused of rape and brought to court in an town of white people. He stood up and told the truth to fight for his innocence at a time when it was unheard of for a black to stand up to prejudice. Tom Robinson fought the system to save his life. Atticus Finch showed more bravery than all of them for defending a black man in court. He did not do it because he had to, he did it because it was the right thing to do. He sets an example for his kids by showing them how you should be courageous even if you know you are going to lose. Each of these characters express bravery through different methods whether it be Atticus and Tom standing up the or prejudice or Dolphus Raymond living his life how he wants regardless of what people think of him. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that shows people standing up for what they think is right even though the odds are against you.