Everyone in their mind has their own definition of courage, and whether it means brave or heroic, everyone thinks of courage differently. People who are thought of as courageous are all completely different from each other. Some might risk their life while others strive towards a seemingly impossible goal. To be courageous, someone does not need to hold a weapon, they need to complete a task, even when they know the possible outcomes from the beginning. Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird contains many different themes that create lessons for the characters to learn. The recurring idea that courage is a combination of physical and emotional strength is just one of the many themes the author includes in the novel. Through Ms. Dubose’s struggle to break her long-fought morphine addiction, the theme of courage is demonstrated for the first time in the novel. Further into the novel, Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson on trial even when he knows he is going to lose the trial. One of the last demonstrations of courage is when Jem risks his life to protect his sister from a mystery attacker.
The characters in To Kill A
…show more content…
When Jem and Scout Finch are ambushed by Bob Ewell as an act of revenge, Jem risks his life to save his sister. Before getting his arm crushed, Jem tries multiple times to bring his sister to safety, potentially risking his life even more. When recalling the events of that evening to the sheriff, Scout clearly depicts Jem’s act of heroism, “Jem found me and started pullin' me toward the road. Some- Mr. Ewell yanked him down, I reckon. They tussled some more and then there was this funny noise- Jem hollered..." (Lee 270). Scout’s costume made it easy to see her in the darkness around them, yet Jem runs to pull her to safety from the killer among them. The courage required in order to save his sister rather than bringing himself to safety is