Why Does Atticus Show Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird, many different themes can be identified. This may be through character’s actions, thoughts, or what they say. Many different scenes throughout the novel are parallels and symbolize main themes. One example of symbolization is in chapter ten when Tim Johnson walks down the street. In this chapter, the characters actions symbolize the themes of racism and courage. Throughout the novel, it can be seen that the characters of To Kill a Mockingbird show courage in some way. In chapter ten, Atticus provides an example of that. “He’s within range, Heck. You better get him before he goes down the side street--Lord knows who’s around the corner. Go inside, Cal” (Lee 10.126). When Mad-dog Johnson walks on the street of where Scout and Jem lived, Atticus had the children stay inside the house with Calpurnia while he went out with Heck Tate to deal with the dog. Only Heck and Atticus were outside of their homes, all the other residents watching from windows or doors. This shows Atticus’s courage because
when the other citizens of Maycomb stayed in the safety of their houses, Atticus went out and put himself in a possible dangerous situation with the intention to help the people that lived there. A subject that is tied with courage is doing what no one else will.
For instance, Atticus had the task of shooting the dog pushed onto him even though he initially did not want to. This situation could be used to symbolize Tom Robinson’s case. When no one wanted to defend Robinson, Atticus was assigned this task. This kind of courage can also be seen through Scout and Jem’s actions. For example, the children were interested in the Radley House even though the rest of their community was scared of what lied inside. "With people like us—that's our share of the bill. We generally get the juries we deserve. Our stout Maycomb citizens aren't interested, in the first place. In the second place, they're afraid” (Lee 23.296) When Atticus says this, he is explaining that people do not want to go against society’s normalities. Even so, Atticus tries his best to teach his children what the right thing to do was, even if that meant being
different. Another theme that can be identified in the novel is that of racial prejudice. The discrimination of the African American society is shown through many of the characters in the book. This is symbolized when Atticus shoots Tim Johnson. It was because that he had a talent for using a gun that he believed he had an unfair advantage over the dog. This inequality symbolizes the imbalance between both communities. “Cry about the simple hell people give other people--without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too” (Lee 20.269). As there is a lack of balance between people with white skin or people with black skin, there is a certain advantage that Atticus held against the dog.