Theme of Courage and Bravery in To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Example

In the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, two siblings, Scout and Jem, have some of the most frightening and unusual experiences. They live with their father, Atticus Finch, and Calpurnia, the housekeeper/nanny, who is like family. Their mother passed away when Scout was 2 years old. Simply growing up without a mom is courageous, and to be a single father who raised two children takes a great amount of bravery. What is courage? There are many definitions but a simple way to put it is by doing something that would usually scare one. Courage and bravery are largely displayed in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

One main event in the novel revolves around Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a black man, who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, is quite courageous when it comes to defending him, 

“If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?” “For a number of reasons,” said Atticus. “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (Lee 75)

Not only does this quote show courage, it also gives us an idea of his morals. Defending a black man in the south, during the 1930’s was looked down upon, this shows how he is the “bigger person” and has good intentions. After the trial, Tom was sent to jail and he gave up hope,

“Tom’s dead.” Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth. “They shot him,” said Atticus. “He was running. It was during his exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them.” (Lee 235)

Tom Robinson attempted to escape prison, although it led to his death, it was a brave effort. He tried to defend himself, and after the trial he knew how the situation would play out after he was sent to jail, and for a man with one arm, he made great progress. The next main event has to do with Bob Ewell, Mayella Ewell’s father.

One of the other main aspects is shown through Jem who is below 15, the way he carries himself is very impressive for someone of that age. Before Bob Ewell attacked Jem, while he and Scout were walking home Jem showed a great deal of bravery,

 “No. Be real quiet again, Scout.” We had not increased our pace. Jem knew as well as I that it was difficult to walk fast without stumping a toe, tripping on stones, and other inconveniences, and I was barefooted… “Run, Scout! Run! Run!” Jem Screamed. (Lee 261) 

This quote shows that Jem had to display leadership, which takes courage. While walking in the dark he was giving instructions to Scout, and keeping a brave face. He knew something was off, and showed maturity and bravery. During this scary time, they were attacked, this is where Arthur “Boo” Radley stepped in,“His stomach was soft but his arms were like steel. He slowly squeezed the breath out of me. I could not move. Suddenly he was jerked backwards and flung on the ground, almost carrying me with him” (Lee 262). Boo Radley must have heard the children screaming, and ran out. I don’t think most people would run towards screams, as they would be frightened themselves. Boo Radley definitely did a great favor, and ended up killing Bob Ewell with a kitchen knife. The death is definitely a dent in the story but since he did the right thing it all worked out. 

In conclusion, Atticus is one of the main leaders of bravery in the book To Kill a Mockingbird especially because he defended a black man in an era where people are still against them. This goes to show that it takes courage and bravery to help other people and yourself out.  Jem, Atticus's son, takes on his father's traits by being defensive when people try to mess with him.  The novel is set in a time where situations and confrontations were much more frequent in person than they are today. In society today a lot of information is communicated through social media and the news. The author Harper Lee Is responsible for adding all the courage and bravery elements in the novel. She makes it clear that even if there's a chance of defeat you still stay strong no matter what. I like how Harper Lee uses characters to portray these traits and gives prime examples of how powerful they could be when properly used. All in all you can see how throughout the book the characters even ones with minimal bravery seemed to get stronger by their experiences.