Summary:
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird shows how courage can be shown in different ways and that even the most subtle act of courage makes a difference. There is courage to tell the truth, as illustrated in the courtroom by Tom Robinson. There is courage in being in a minority and remaining as such, as shown through Atticus' late-night meeting and Jem and Scout's accompanying Calpurnia to service at the black church. And there is courage to change, as depicted through Scout following Atticus' request not to fight anymore.
Courage is doing what you are afraid of, that's why it is so strange that there is so much physical courage around the world, while moral courage is so rare. However, courage is shown in different ways. It takes a great deal of courage to tell the truth instead of denying it. Also, to be in minority and remain there, because of your beliefs or other reason, is a courageous act. And not to forget, change is an act of courage of which many people are afraid. These are only a few examples of courage in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. The main character Scout, will show us courage accompanied by her brother Jem, and by her father Atticus. Also some neighbors and acquaintances show us the same thing in one way or another. In the end the kind of courage that gets you from one moment to another is the courage that matters.
The courage to tell the truth is illustrated in the courtroom by Tom Robinson, who gives his testimony, at his life trial because he is accused by Miss Mayella of taking advantage of her. Tom is so honest he even makes a big mistake by telling that he felt sorry for her. "I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em."(197) The mistake he makes is that he is black and Miss Mayella is white and it's not possible that a black could feel sorry for a white under any circumstances. This is how Tom's courage stands out in the courtroom. Another example of this kind of courage is shown by Dolophus Raymound. He tells the truth to Scout and Jem about pretending he is drunk while he is not. He is really just drinking Coca-Cola from a sack, not alcohol which others believed. "'Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm not much of a drinker but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live.'"(200) This was another kind of courage, because the kids could easily go and tell everyone that Mr. Raymond is just pretending, but he takes a risk, and he is courageous because of it. Finally change is not only something extreme, like saving someone's life or jumping with the parachute, it is little things that are an act of courage, which maybe don't seem important, but they surely are.
The courage to be in minority and stay there is another act of courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird, that act is shown when Atticus goes outside at a very late hour to meet with some men. "We were taking a short cut across the square when four dusty cars came in from the Meridian highway, moving slowly in a line. They went around the square, passed the bank building, and stopped in front of fail."(151) That was courageous even if Atticus didn't see it that way. But his children thought is very brave, but in the same time very dangerous. Atticus was alone there, and he was in minority, those men could easily bit him up. But Atticus was convince that that's not going to happen, and he was right. Another example will be when Calpurnia broth Jem and Scout at her church. Jem and Scout were courageous because even if they were white they still went with Calpurnia at her black church. Then when Calpurnia had an argument with Lula one of the ladies from the church she and the kids were in minority, the people from the church could easily send Cal away with her white company. She was brave and she didn't back up. "Lula stopped, but she said, 'You ain't got no business bringin' white chillum here - they got their church we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it Miss Cal"' Calpurnia said, 'It's the same God, ain't it"'"(119) These is again courage, by being in minority. In conclusion, being in minority and stay there is an act of courage. Saying no, because you know you are right, while the others don't agree with you is a very subtle courageous act.
The courage to change is very important, because not everybody is able to do it, and of course changing a habit or something like that can change your life radically. A very good example of this kind of courage is when Atticus asked Scout not to fight anymore. "When I committed myself to a policy of cowardice. Word got around that Scout Finch wouldn't fight anymore, her daddy wouldn't let her."(90) That was an act of great courage because Scout used to fight a lot, but because she had promised to her father that she would stop fighting, she could not fight anymore. Same as Jem, Scout doesn't want to disappoint her father. So she makes a change. Another example of the courage to change is made by their neighbor Mrs. Dubose. She is very sick and she is going to die soon because of it, and she knew that. However she is taking morphine to handle the pain better. But because she takes morphine for so long she is addicted to it, and now because of a bad incident that happened between Mrs. Dubose and Jem, he has to read for her. During the days of reading Mrs. Dubose starts to stop taking morphine as much as before and she stops taking it on time, when she felts she need it. Finally she stops taking it at all, and she dies clean. "'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 you see it through no matter what'"(112) this truly shows how much the courage to change, and say no, can make a difference in someone's life and Mrs. Dubose dies happy and proud about herself because of it.
In conclusion even the most subtle act of courage makes a difference, to be courageous it doesn't take to be powerful or to be intelligent. Courage is just doing what you are afraid of. That's why telling the truth instead of denying it it's an act of courage, or being in minority and say no. Also making changes it takes to have courage to do it. In the end only the kind of courage that gets you from one moment to the other is the courage that really matters.
This is the complete article, containing 1,088 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page).
