Scout Finch Research Paper

Words: 810
Pages: 4

The Courageous Acts of Scout Finch The famous military commander, Napoleon Bonaparte, once stated, “Courage isn’t having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don’t have strength.” In the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, many examples of courage are demonstrated through the actions of the narrator Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Scouts grow up in a very prejudiced and discriminatory society. While her father is an attorney defending a black man, she finds her way to stick to her courage and stand up for what is right. Scout’s courage throughout the novel is very important and shows her determination to stand up for the rights of others. Her courage is demonstrated many times in the novel, but mostly when firstly …show more content…
Walter explains to Miss Caroline that he forgot his lunch and she immediately offers him a quarter to buy himself lunch. What Miss Caroline does not know about Walter is that he is poor and can’t afford to pay her back. Walter doesn’t accept her quarter. This is when Scout explains to Miss Caroline, “Miss Caroline, he’s a Cunningham” (Lee 22). Miss Caroline becomes confused so Scout goes on to explain, “The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back” (Lee 22). This resolves the conflict between Caroline and Walter Cunningham. If Scout had not stood up for Walter and spoken for him, Miss Caroline would have remained confused and questioned Walter. Scout also saves Walter Cunningham from the embarrassment of having to explain why he will not borrow money from Miss Caroline in front of the entire class. No other child in the classroom would stand up for Walter, which demonstrates Scout’s courageous ways. Secondly, Scout demonstrates her courageous attitude when she stands up to her own cousin Francis for insulting …show more content…
He is always in other people’s business where he does not belong and this time he gets put in his place. Francis finds out that his Uncle Atticus is defending a black man in court and begins messing with Scout about it. This is shown when Francis states, “I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family” (Lee 94). Scout replies by stating, “Francis, what the hell do you mean?” (Lee 94) and later, “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, but you better cut it out this red hot minute!” (Lee 94). Scout does not entertain Francis’s immature comments, but instead just tells him to keep his mouth shut. She was not afraid to stand up for her father and handle the situation better than many other people would. At just her young age, she is not only not scared to tell Francis to be quiet, but also handles the situation without causing trouble. Lastly, Scout demonstrates courage when she protects Atticus from the mob outside the jail. Atticus decides he is going to wait outside the jail to protect his defendant because he knows the mob is coming to kill Tom