Character Courage in TKAM

Courage is a prominent theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper lee utilises each of her characters to explore the different types of courage that exist within all of us. There are many more, but the four most important forms of courage in the book, are the courage to...
1. To pursue a goal, regardless of whether the outcome of that goal will be inevitable
2. To defend one's own beliefs, even when the rest of society is against them
3. To have the self-discipline and willpower to over come one's flaws
4. To place ones’ self in harm's way to help another

Each of these qualities, are demonstrated by different characters throughout the book, and they all have different parts to play in the growth of the Finches. The first form of courage, being 'the courage to continue pursuing your goals when all seems hopeless,' is the highest form of courage in the book, demonstrated by the elderly Mrs Dubose. Mrs Dubose was the tenacious woman who refused to die bound to a morphine addiction. Her death demonstrated to the Finch children, what people could accomplish even when all odds were stacked against them. Mrs Dubose was one character who displayed an immense amount of courage, and she is one of the most inspirational characters throughout the book.

The second form of courage is the 'courage to defend one's ideals, even if the people around them are opposed to them.' No character in the book demonstrates this principle more than Atticus Finch. Atticus is a man who is not afraid to abide by what his conscience tells him to do, even against great opposition. His belief in justice is what enables him to defend Tom Robinson in court, to take a spit in the face from Bob Ewell and to calmly wave off Mrs Dubose's insults whenever he passes her house. Few men are capable of even possessing the courage that Atticus Finch, and he is one of Harper Lee's strongest characters.

The third form of courage is what enables people to overcome their flaws. It is a type of courage that also requires great self-discipline and desire to change one's self for the better. Harper Lee elected Scout Finch to be the character that represented this form of courage. Scout Finch is the fiery daughter of Atticus Finch. She has a strong sense of justice, but has an extremely short temper. This frequently gets her into fights, but as the story progresses, the reader sees a change in Scout. Scout, determined not to disobey her father, eventually chooses to walk away from the taunts of her ignorant peers without fighting. It's hard for her, but she eventually learns to control her impulsive behaviour. Scout's growth throughout the book shows us how each and every person has the potential to better them-selves if they have the courage and determination to.

The fourth and final form of courage in the book is physical courage. It is courage that is displayed by many characters throughout the book. However, the greatest example of physical courage is Boo Radley’s battle with Bob Ewell. Boo, a man who has lived as a recluse for all his life has the determination to fight and defeat a man who might try to murder two children for vengeance alone. His actions are nothing short of heroic and it goes to show that courage can come from the most unexpected places.

TKAM is a book that goes to extraordinary lengths to convey the importance and worth of courage. Through her characters, Harper Lee has shown how the people who possess real courage are able to positively influence the lives of others.

The Phantoms of Old

I still remember some old fears from my childhood. They would really only disturb me around nightime. See, night is when fears, nightmares and evil monsters com out to play. well, they play in your mind, but having an uncle who constantly warned of and acted like the boogeyman didn't really halp me sleep peacefully at night. see, i was always afraid of he evil spirit that hid under my bed. he was decsribed to me as having blood red skin, with draconic wings, sharp talons and fangs. He also talked softly, with a malevolent hiss. That was the worst part, because each time every soft noise that I heard became his whisper. Looking back on how I was reduced to tears, i wonder if my uncle had been watching "The Exorcist" a few too many times.

I also had another peculiar fear of Thomas the Tank Engine. Now don't get me wrong, as a three year old kid, I loved the adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine. He was a hero by day, but I hated him at night though, as my parents once put a 'glow in the dark' Thomas on my door. Although I remember that strange gren glow, I have absolutely no recollection as to why it scared so me much. I just don't know why.

I also used to have a fear of robots. Not r2-d2. i mean those old, square-headed robots who used little red lines on their faces to form expressions of anger. My first ever nightmare, involved one such robot jumping out of my closet and chasing me all the way to my parents room. Well, after that dream abruptly ended, i found myself really wary around any robots that i saw. They weren't human. They were evil. Of course now i think tha robots are awesome. Come on, which sane person doesn't like the autobots. Well now I'm on about a great movie. go see it sometime.

There you have it. My three greatest childhood fears; some that were figments of my imagination, while others were born as a cruel joke. It's little wonder that I hate horror flicks

Mrs Dubose

Although she might have appeared to be a cruel and uncaring indiviual to outsiders, those who were close to Mrs Dubose were able to see a different persona hidden deep beneath her tough exterior. This inner Dubose was neither as sadistic nor as cynical as many thought her to be. No. The inner Dubose was a woman who possessed a fierce pride and an unyielding will. The only thing that stopped Mrs Dubose's qualities from being seen, were the years of hardship and loneliness she had had endured. Dubose had been grievously ill for years, and since her affliction, she had fought a painful battle to stay alive. At some point, she was forced to turn to morphine to alleviate her pain. But while the drugs spared Mrs Dubose the pain of a slow death, their benefits forced Mrs Dubose to rely on them. As a result, she eventually succumbed to a morphine addiction.

Yet Mrs Dubose never gave in to morphine. Even after all she had faced, she still had the determination and fortitude necessary to overcome her dependancy on sedatives. With Jem's helped, she was able to pass on 'beholden to nothing and no-one.' Although we may treat people according to how they treat us, we often forget that everybody has secrets that affect them. Mrs Dubose had her own inner demons, demons that she eventually conquered, even though she knew that it would not change her fate. Nevertheless, she fought her life's battle through to the very end, and this act demonstrated her greatest quality of all.

Her Courage.

Jem and Atticus Finch

Atticus Finch had a peculiar style of parenting. He never spoiled his children, but he was always there for them in times of need. He treated them with a courteous detachment, yet he had a frank and assertive character. However peculiar it may seemed though, Atticus' parenting was one that earned him the respect of his children. Although it goes without saying that Jem and Scout had conflicts with their father, it is interesting to see how much they both matured throughout the course of the book. But for now, we'll focus on Jeremy Finch.

At the beginning of the story, Jem was a slightly childish 11 year old. He wasn't interested in the politcs and prejudices around him. He was more interested in playing, occasionally immature, games with his friends. The classic example of this is Jem's version of the life of Boo Radley. Although Jem, Scout, Dill and even Boo were apparently amused by this game, Atticus scolded him for it, telling him that such behaviour wasn't befitting of a lawyer. However, although Jem Finch may have initially been immature, his experiences throughout the book forced him to grow up much faster than he expected to.

When Jem was about 12 years old, Scout began to notice a change in him, as well as his relationship with their father. Jem became less eager to get into trouble with his father. "Atticus ain't whipped me since i can remember, and I intend to keep it that way..." This particular quotation came from after he left his pants lying in the Radley backyard. While his comment may have been born of a guilty conscience, it does prove that Jem valued the relationship he and his father had. To avoid being punished and thought badly of by his father, Jem was prepared to risk being shot my Mr Radley as he snuck out of the house at night to retrieve hs pants. Jem's act occurs quite frequently in real life, because we often have to cover up our acts to avoid damaging relationships with people close to us.

As the book progessed, Jem was observed to change in another way. Although he became more respectful around his father, Jem's greatest change was that of his character. Scout goes so far as to say that Jem became a spitting image of his father. In fact, it's true. By the conclusion of the case against Tom Robinson, Jem had matured so much that he actually cried for justice when the accused man was sentenced. Like Atticus, he was well aware of the prejudices that had influenced the trial. Few 12 year olds could ever hope to undersand such deep areas of a society. To say that Jem Finch was your average twelve year old, would be ludicrous. No. For atticus and Jem, it was simply a matter of 'like father, like son."

The First...

Hi, the names Vince. Just gotta check if it works. There'll be some real content soon enough