Courage within to Kill a Mockingbird | Courage within to Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee demonstrates that courage is fighting what you believe in no matter the consequence. Fighting for your thoughts and morals all the way to the end, without regard for what people or society as a whole think. The mentality of many is that courage is not having fear or being afraid. A person who has never been hit by a car is not afraid only because that person has no reason to be afraid. This example is not courage, but ignorance. Courage is getting into a situation were the outcome is not in your favor, but you jumping in anyways with the hope that you might be able to have a favorable outcome.

Atticus has a definition that "real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin" he precedes to explain that, "you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." This statement has an amount of power and meaning that is phenomenal because it shows the fight against the human response to shun these scenarios and to welcome these certain problems with open arms along with the prejudice and hate that accompany these actions. The application of this statement outside of the Finch family is one of Mrs. Dubose fighting an addiction to morphine and trying to remain alive without the use of the medicine changing the way she sees and feels the world, morphine. Though this medicine can help ease the pain of her slow and painful death, she fights the addiction even though she knows she it is going to hurt without the morphine. Mrs. Dubose chooses to not use the morphine because it is addictive and she doesn't want to die with a morphine addiction. The courage she possesses by trying to end her morphine addiction is amazing.

Jem exercises this courage by defying his father and remaining at the jail along his father's side. The situation Jem is putting himself in is dangerous; he puts his life in the mercy of the angry mob trying to kill Tom or Atticus or both. A 12-year-old child should never have to handle this situation, but Jem handles it as a man stands up for what he believes in even if it means his own death from the angry feelings of the mob or the punishment from his father. A child of only 12 years of age typically would listen to his parent and succeed to his father's demands.

What is even more of a courageous act is when Scout attempts to calm down a mob. Mobs are like thoughtless creatures and Scout is attempting to talk to mob leader, Mr. Walter Cunningham, like a human being. She brings up the topic of his son. Soon after that Walter Cunningham disperses the mob because he believes that this is not what they need to be showing their children. As an eight year old this was an amazingly courageous thing to do. Scout cheated death to defend a person she has never met because she thought he was innocent. Atticus exercises great courage by defending Tom Robinson. The whole town is infected with Maycomb's usual disease of prejudice and is not thinking about what is happening. Maycomb is attacking Atticus for protecting this man in a court of justice and fairness. Atticus is putting all the things that a man holds dear, dignity, respect, honor and status, on the line to protect Tom. The jury in this case mine as well be Klu Klux Klan members, because Tom is not going to be treated fairly anyways and Atticus knows that Tom will be sentenced to death before he even has a hearing. With this against Atticus, he follows through with the case regardless.

This definition of courage is not only true to this story, but also applicable to life outside this story. The attitudes of Jem and Scout are used to show true key elements of courage. Lessons taught by Atticus and Mrs. Dubose show Jem and Scout what it is to be courageous and stand up for what they believe in. These mentors are vital not only to Jem and Scout, but to the reader.