To Kill A Mockingbird Courage Essay Sample

Imagine living in a town with people who acknowledge you and courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus and Jem do just that. To Kill a Mockingbird is about how the Finches grew up in town. Jem and Scout are the children of Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer that took a case of a black man named Tom Robinson. That was falsely accused of rape. Jem and Scout are about 5 years apart and they loved playing outside during the summer. They spent many summers trying to figure out who Boo Radley was and why he never came out of his house. One summer that changed, Boo Radley came out of the house to save Jem and Scout from a threat that happened. He saved their lives. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus, and Jem display true courage. 

To begin, Atticus addresses that when you have courage you can do anything. Atticus acknowledged courage when he shoots the furious dog, The first example happens when a dog with rabies is on the loose. Mr. Tate hands Atticus the shotgun; he hasn’t shot a gun in 30 years. Atticus then “made two steps forward, then stopped and raised his head. We saw his body go rigid. With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous. Atticus's hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder. The rifle cracked (Lee 127).” Atticus shot the dog with only one bullet and after he shoots the dog he doesn’t brag about his talent. As the result of Atticus having courage, Atticus shot the dog after not using a gun for over 30 years. He told Jem not to go by the dog because it was still infectious. Atticus shows courage when he takes Tom’s case. In the story, Atticus takes Tom Robinson’s case knowing he will lose. Atticus took the case for a number of reasons, “The main one is, If I didn’t, I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I would even tell you or Jem not to do something again (Lee 100).” Atticus was telling Scout why he took the case even though he knew he wouldn’t win. Because Atticus had courage. He tried his hardest to make Tom Robinson win the case and supported him through what everyone was saying in town. Therefore, Atticus was trying to imply that it takes courage to be successful. 

To begin, Jem shows that he doesn’t back down even if he is scared. Jem shows courage when he tries to help Scout while Bob Ewell is attacking them. While Jem and Scout were walking home from school, Bob Ewell was trying to attack them. When Jem hears and sees a glimpse of someone coming towards them, Jem yells, “Run! Scout! Run!” (Lee 351). Scout loses her stability and collapses. Due to the fact that Jem tried to save Scout, he broke his arm. Jem shows courage when he touches Boo Radley's house. While Jem, Dill, and Scout were outside Dill challenged Jem to touch the Radley house. Jem then “threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful (Lee 18).” Jem never backed down on a dare and implies that since Jem touched the Radley house he showed Jem and Dill that he wasn’t scared. Jem didn’t back down and did the dare even after being scared. Therefore, Jem was trying to imply that you should never give up and continue to have courage.