What Makes A Hero In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

1312 Words6 Pages
Mockingbird essay What makes a hero? In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the story is told through the eyes of a six year old girl named Scout (Jean Louise) Finch. She and her brother are being raised by their widowed father, Atticus Finch, and housekeeper, Calpurnia. The story revolves around a criminal trial where Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson, a black man, who has been accused of raping a white girl. In this book, Atticus shows many qualities that any literary hero should have. Because of his bravery, compassion, and integrity, Atticus Finch is a true literary hero. Merriam Webster defines bravery as, “ the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty : the quality or state of being…show more content…
“We saw Atticus look up from his newspaper. He closed it, folded it deliberately, dropped it in his lap, and pushed his hat to the back of his head. He seemed to be expecting them” (Lee 201). He seemed extremely casual about the fact these men were coming to hurt Tom Robinson. If he was afraid, he definitely wasn’t showing it. Atticus sat in front of the only way you could go in or out of the jail cell. There would be no escaping these men. The only thing standing between Tom Robinson and this mob was Atticus. He wouldn’t just be sitting there, casually reading his newspaper if he had not been brave. Atticus has two kids to take care of and is risking his life for this man. A man who has a lot of people wanting him dead. He also took on the Tom Robinson case even though from the beginning he knew he wouldn’t win. He told his kids, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). Instead of taking physical action, he is using verbal action to save
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