Theme of Courage in To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Example

Courage is an incredibly controversial topic. Not everyone utilizes it. Numerous people, including plenty of characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird display many acts of courage. In this book, Atticus is a lawyer in Maycomb Alabama during the 1930s. He has two kids named Scout and Jem. Nearly the whole town is racist, but Atticus believes in equality. He wants to teach his kids right. Atticus takes a case defending a black man named Tom Robinson, after he was falsely accused of rape. Uprising occurs in the town after hearing their best lawyer is defending an African American! However, Atticus stands up to all this and tries his best. Debates could be made for any one of the characters to be the bravest, but the clear favorite is Atticus.

Atticus is the utmost courageous person in the book, as he fires back to his whole town telling him that he is wrong, and he does not back down even after he gets threatened. Atticus knows bravery is important, hence him saying “I wanted you to see what real courage is instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (Lee 128). Thus, he knew he was going to lose, but put in his best effort anyway. Most people would give up on this case, but not Atticus. Plus he knows that bad things could happen if he goes through with it, yet he pursues through the storm of worry and doubt to continue to try to succeed.

Standing up to threats and an entire town takes bravery, and Atticus did just that. Atticus is not fearless, and we know that as we see him worried in a multitude of instances. Some people say that courage is the same as fearlessness, but that is not true. “Courage is the willingness to respond fearlessly to the anxiety and worry tugging at you” (Gordon). The author says this as she is talking about how courage and fearlessness are different. This applies to Atticus because he is fearful of what could happen to Tom Robinson, what could happen to himself, and how the trial might go. Therefore, Atticus is courageous because he stands up to all the baggage weighing him down and is willing to respond fearlessly with how he acts at the trial, and during the days leading up to the trial. But Atticus is the most courageous character in the book since no other character does anything that comes close to the magnitude of things that Atticus does.

The argument could be made that Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley is the most courageous for defying all the rumors calling him a monster, or for saving Scout and Jem’s lives, but defying rumors is more sticking up for yourself than it is courageous. Saving Scout and Jem was brave, but it was quick, in the dark, and only a one-time thing. However, Atticus dealt with multiple days of stress, was willing to go to trial again in a higher court, and stood up to the whole town’s threats while this was going on. He backed up an African American man, not to mention this all took place in Alabama in the 1930s. It takes way more courage to do that than having one little fight. The trial wraps up and Miss Maudie points out “It’s just a baby-step. But it’s a step” (Lee 197). She is talking about how Atticus is starting to make a dent in racism. He stood up for Tom Robinson, and that made people think. Moreover, in a village plagued with racism defending a black man is very risky, and it shows. But Atticus did, and that was much braver than Arthur getting into a small fight, proving Atticus to be the bravest character.

Atticus is, without question, the most courageous character in the novel. Courage is an immense factor, and it can get you a long way. Atticus started to chip away at racism in the south. He defied a whole town threatening him and saying it could not be done. Regardless, Atticus proved them all wrong, and it takes real courage to do something like that. But how far can courage get you?