Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel detailing the injustice and discrimination suffered by those who lived in the 1930s, through the eyes of the young narrator, Jean Louise Finch. Throughout the novel, Lee uses many of the characters and circumstances to demonstrate all facets of courage, whether it be bravery through the eyes of Atticus or straight down fear and cowardice through the eyes of Mayella Ewell. There are also many characters, such as Tom Robinson, who seem to waver between the line of dauntlessness and fright to perfectly explore and portray the theme of ‘courage’ in this beautifully written novel.
Atticus Finch is a marvelous example of different forms of courage in Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. His moral courage is most …show more content…
It takes a courageous man to openly go against the negative pressures of the society in which he lives in. During the time when the novel takes place, racism is an overwhelmingly powerful force, yet Atticus was willing to endanger his reputation, social standing, family name and even his physical safety to stand up for a black labourer falsely charged with rape. Atticus pits himself against the prevailing customs and attitudes of Maycomb, knowing full well that in doing so he is exposing his family and himself to ridicule and danger. Atticus also shows great physical courage when he places himself between the lynch mob and Tom Robinson. He no doubt knows how overwhelmingly disadvantaged he is, being unarmed and outnumbered, yet still not wavering or faltering. The reader can easily tell that Atticus is scared with Scout narrating that, “he put the newspaper down very carefully, adjusting its creases with lingering fingers. They were trembling a little…” Throughout the book, Atticus shows …show more content…
Mayella Ewell, unlike Atticus, is absolutely terrified to go against the traditions and views of her neighbours. She is not brave enough to lift her head high and proudly say that she had desires for someone who was not deemed ‘human’ by their society. She repeatedly stresses that “He was the one!”, cowardly pushing the blame onto the innocent Tom Robinson, making him suffer the consequences she was supposed to face. Throughout the court scene, Harper Lee does drop hints suggesting that her father, Bob Ewell, had abused her in the past and might even be doing so now. While sitting in the witness stand, Mayella Ewell visibly cowers in front of Atticus when her make belief story starts to crumble, but under the weight of her father’s watchful eyes, she continues on fueled by the fear of punishment, ridicule and pain. Though the reader can pity her because of her overbearing father, one cannot simply forgive her for her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson. Many may argue that she is courageous in the sense that she tries to maintain her self dignity on stand. When Atticus calls her "Ma'am," she bristles at this because she thinks he is mocking her, and stands up for herself, however, true courage on her part would definitely have been to tell the truth and bravely face the consequences of her actions, instead of
Atticus Finch is a marvelous example of different forms of courage in Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. His moral courage is most …show more content…
It takes a courageous man to openly go against the negative pressures of the society in which he lives in. During the time when the novel takes place, racism is an overwhelmingly powerful force, yet Atticus was willing to endanger his reputation, social standing, family name and even his physical safety to stand up for a black labourer falsely charged with rape. Atticus pits himself against the prevailing customs and attitudes of Maycomb, knowing full well that in doing so he is exposing his family and himself to ridicule and danger. Atticus also shows great physical courage when he places himself between the lynch mob and Tom Robinson. He no doubt knows how overwhelmingly disadvantaged he is, being unarmed and outnumbered, yet still not wavering or faltering. The reader can easily tell that Atticus is scared with Scout narrating that, “he put the newspaper down very carefully, adjusting its creases with lingering fingers. They were trembling a little…” Throughout the book, Atticus shows …show more content…
Mayella Ewell, unlike Atticus, is absolutely terrified to go against the traditions and views of her neighbours. She is not brave enough to lift her head high and proudly say that she had desires for someone who was not deemed ‘human’ by their society. She repeatedly stresses that “He was the one!”, cowardly pushing the blame onto the innocent Tom Robinson, making him suffer the consequences she was supposed to face. Throughout the court scene, Harper Lee does drop hints suggesting that her father, Bob Ewell, had abused her in the past and might even be doing so now. While sitting in the witness stand, Mayella Ewell visibly cowers in front of Atticus when her make belief story starts to crumble, but under the weight of her father’s watchful eyes, she continues on fueled by the fear of punishment, ridicule and pain. Though the reader can pity her because of her overbearing father, one cannot simply forgive her for her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson. Many may argue that she is courageous in the sense that she tries to maintain her self dignity on stand. When Atticus calls her "Ma'am," she bristles at this because she thinks he is mocking her, and stands up for herself, however, true courage on her part would definitely have been to tell the truth and bravely face the consequences of her actions, instead of