To Kill a Mocking Bird
People have different perceptions of courage all the time; some think it is a man with a gun in hand; some see courage as mental strength to persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty; others think courage is an ordinary person, doing extraordinary things; or even standing up for what is right, even if you are standing alone. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is illustrated through the characters of Atticus Finch, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, and Bob Ewell. Atticus and Mrs.Dubose share some of the same characteristics of courage. They both begin an impossible task but give it their all until the end, even if they don't succeed. On the other hand, Bob Ewell shows an immense lack of courage throughout the book by not having the courage to accept the consequences of his own wrong doing. Atticus, Bob Ewell, and Mrs.Dubose each reveal courage in different ways, even if that way Atticus Finch feels true courage is when " you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through to the end no matter what." (p.112) With this definition of courage, Atticus would be considered an extremely courageous man. Tom Robinson was be
When Atticus takes the case of Tom Robinson he says it is the "one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. ing accused of raping a white girl during the 1930s in Alabama. It takes a great deal of bravery to choose the hard way. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. Merriweather never stated it, she did make her point clear that she felt there were "some good but misguided people in this town some of 'em think they are doing the right thing all along"(p. When she does take her normal route home, he hears Bob Ewell behind her "fowl words. He was "running a still" in Maycomb, he was referred to as a "nigger lover" which was not accepted in society of Alabama in the 1930s(75). " (249) The most uncourageous thing Bob Ewell does is he attacks Jem and Scout on their way home, which then leaves him dead. Because of the way blacks were treated then, obviously the chances of Tom Robinson walking out of the courthouse innocent were slim to none. Atticus was an ordinary person, who did an extraordinary thing for another person. He was standing up for what he felt was right, and he was almost standing solo. Overcoming her addiction had bedridden her. Bob Ewell was willing to go to any length to cover up the truth.
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