People have different perceptions of courage all the time; some think it is a

man with a gun in hand; some see courage as mental strength to persevere and

withstand danger, fear, or difficulty; others think courage is an ordinary

person, doing extraordinary things; or even standing up for what is right,

even if you are standing alone. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird,

courage is illustrated through the characters of Atticus Finch, Mrs. Henry

Lafayette Dubose, and Bob Ewell. Atticus and Mrs.Dubose share some of the

same characteristics of courage. They both begin an impossible task but give

it their all until the end, even if they don't succeed. On the other hand, Bob

Ewell shows an immense lack of courage throughout the book by not having

the courage to accept the consequences of his own wrong doing. Atticus, Bob

Ewell, and Mrs.Dubose each reveal courage in different ways, even if that way

is not showing any courage at all.

Atticus Finch feels true courage is when " you know you're licked before

you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through to the end no matter

what." (p.112) With this definition of courage, Atticus would be considered an

extremely courageous man. Tom Robinson was being accused of raping a white

girl during the 1930s in Alabama. Because of the way blacks were treated then, obviously the chances of Tom Robinson

walking out of the courthouse innocent were slim to none. When Atticus takes

the case of Tom Robinson he says it is the "one case in his lifetime

that affects him personally." (p. 76) If he didn't take this case, he felt he

couldn't "represent this country in legislature" additionally he said, "I

couldn't hold up my head in town I couldn't even tell you and Jem not to do

something again."(75) Taking this case took a great deal of courage

and made Atticus a target of ridicule for Maycomb County. He was standing

up for what he felt was right, and he was almost standing solo. The majority

of Maycomb's citizens do not agree with Atticus's actions whatsoever. He was "running a

still" in Maycomb, he was referred to as a "nigger lover" which was not

accepted in society of Alabama in the 1930s(75). In Atticus's own home he was

put down for defending a black man. Although Mrs. Merriweather never stated

it, she did make her point clear that she felt there were "some good but

misguided people in this town some of 'em think they are doing the right

thing all along"(p. 233) It was quite obvious that she was referring to Atticus.
Atticus took the case of Tom Robinson knowing he most likely wasn't

going to win. In his heart, he knew it was the right thing to do, so he

defended Tom. Atticus was an ordinary person, who did an extraordinary thing

for another person.

Mrs.Dubose demonstrates tremendous courage through having amazing mental

strength and perseverance to overcome an addiction. Mrs. Dubose had an

addiction to morphine, but she made the decision she was going to die without

the morphine, "beholden to nothing and nobody." Her decision was not, by far,

the easiest way to die. It was actually the hardest thing she would have to

overcome at that time. Overcoming her addiction had bedridden her. Now, for

most people, if they have the choice of taking a pill or staying in bed for

life, most would choose to take the pill, not Mrs. Dubose. She was going

to beat the morphine. Atticus said it himself," Mrs. Dubose won, all

ninety-eight pounds of her.""(p. 112) Although she was bitter, like many old

people are, she had true courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to choose the

hard way. Most people look for the short cuts in life, the easy way out, but

having courage means you fight the impossible with a remarkable amount of

perseverance. Mrs. Dubose's courage and strength pulled her through until the

end, so she could die free of the morphine.

It takes courage to accept consequences of your own wrongdoing; the kind

of courage Bob Ewell lacks. Bob Ewell was willing to go to any length to

cover up the truth. Not only did he lie, but he also forced his daughter to lie as well. His lack of courage put an innocent man in prison and he died there. When Bob Ewell was made look like a foolish liar in court, he

threatens the opposing lawyer, the defendant's wife, and Judge Taylor. Being

the ignorant person Bob Ewell seems to be, he breaks into Judge Taylor's

home, while the rest of town was at church. It was not a well kept secret

that Judge Taylor was not a "Sunday night church-goer."(238) After Bob Ewell

has put Tom Robinson in prison, he threatens his Tom's wife; this then forces

her to take an alternative route to and from her job. When she does take her

normal route home, he hears Bob Ewell behind her "fowl words." (249) The most

uncourageous thing Bob Ewell does is he attacks Jem and Scout on their way

home, which then leaves him dead. Bob Ewell reveals no courage in this book;

he demonstrates no strength to accept responsibility for his own actions.

Courage as many definitions, most of which are displayed through Atticus,

Mrs. Dubose, and the lack of courage Bob Ewell demonstrates. Atticus took on

an impossible talk; he stood up for what he felt was right, even thought he

was one of very few standing. Mrs. Dubose as well took on an impossible task

and shoed mental strength and perseverance. Courage was not illustrated

through Bob Ewell, only the lack of courage one man could have. Courage has

multiple meanings for all kind of people, every person shows their own

courage, or lack of courage some how, some way.