Bravery In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the main notions is what constitutes bravery in a person. Although there are many instances of bravery in the book, the three that are most significant to the theme of bravery are: Mrs Dubose beating her addiction, Boo Radley putting himself in danger to save Scout and Jem, and Atticus defending Tom Robinson.
Almost everyone in Maycomb thinks of Mrs. Dubose as a mean old lady who hates everyone and everything. Although Atticus knows that she is actually a really brave person, and that's why he agrees to send Jem to read to her. It is only after her death that he reveals to his children how brave she really was. She was a morphine addict struggling to overcome her addiction, and she did. This is …show more content…
He would not be able to teach his children about what it means to be humane if he would not accept the case because the defendant is black. “if I didn't I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn't represent the country in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not do something again” (Lee 86). He would not feel right on the inside if he chose not to defend Tom. Choosing to not defend him would make Atticus feel guilty. This shows how brave Atticus really is. It demonstrates how much effort he will put into something that he believes in. He tries standing up for a moral cause while also teaching his children about …show more content…
When they find out he is a great shot with a rifle, they start thinking very highly of him. They don't know why Atticus didn't tell them that he was such a great shot. It is because Atticus doesn't want Scout and Jem to think bravery is a man with a gun. Atticus wants them to know the true definition of bravery. Harper Lee voices what bravery means to her through Atticus. In To Kill a Mockingbird, bravery is portrayed as an act that contributes to a moral cause even when there is an opposing risk. It is an act that doesn't necessarily make it easier on yourself, but one that is right, even when it could make you the odd man out. To Kill a Mockingbird makes us question our own humanity. It makes us think if we were to be in similar situations, would we act the same ways as these three characters in the book? Would we be brave the way Harper Lee describes
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