Courage and Fear in Harper Lee's Novel
The Themes of Cowardice and Bravery in To Kill a Mockingbird
Apr 16, 2009
In her Pulitzer prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores various forms of courage, revealing that courage isn’t just feats of physical bravery but also requires mental toughness. Lee also reveals the culmination of extreme cowardice in her portrait of Bob Ewell.
Extreme Cowardice
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird most of the characters behave with as much dignity and courage as they are capable of displaying. Bob Ewell is the clear exception to this pattern. After Mayella Ewell’s trial, Bob vows to get even with Atticus Finch for the humiliation he experienced under Atticus’ examination.
Bob Ewell begins with acts of intimidation. First, Ewell attempted to break into Judge Taylor’s house to take revenge on the Judge for his part in humiliating Ewell. Unfortunately for Ewell, the Judge was home. However, Ewell managed to slip away. Later, Ewell resorted to harassing Helen Robinson the wife of Ewell’s victim, Tom Robinson. Finally, Ewell stooped to his lowest act of cowardice; he attacked Scout and Jem when they returned home from their Halloween party at the school.
Ewell’s cowardice is summed up by Mr. Tate who says “Mr. Finch—wasn’t crazy, mean as hell. Low-down skunk with enough liquor in him to make him brave enough to kill children. He’d never have met you [Atticus] face to face.” (269)
The Face of Bravery
The first and most beautiful face of bravery described by Harper Lee is that of Mrs. Dubose. The cantankerous, mean, racist widow has true character. When Jem destroys her camellias, his restitution is to go to Mrs. Dubose’s house every day after school for a month and read to her. The punishment is odd. Soon Jem and Scout realize that there is more going on than simple punishment, although, they do not discover until later the true purpose of Jem’s reading to Mrs. Dubose.
Mrs. Dubose was ill and dying. However, she wants to die free from her addiction to morphine. Jem’s reading provided Mrs. Dubose with a distraction while she fought her addiction. After her death, Atticus summarized her bravery by saying “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 your licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs Dubose, won, all ninety-eight pounds of her.” (112)
Bravery Against all Odds
Tom Robinson shows the quiet bravery that leads to compassionate actions even though he knows his generosity may have potentially dangerous consequences. Tom Robinson helps Mayella Ewell, a white woman who is his social-superior and whose status automatically confers the sentence of guilty on him, because she needs someone to help her. He knows that his race makes him a target if his actions are misunderstood. Unfortunately, Tom’s compassion and gentleness lead to the false accusation of rape, his conviction, and ultimately, his death.
Courage to Leave Safety
Boo Radley shows courage by leaving the safety of his house to help ‘his kids.’ It is unsure when Boo begins watching the children and becomes concerned for their well being. However, as the story progresses it becomes apparent that Boo watches the children and is interested in them.
His interest is revealed when he hides little gifts in the hole of a tree for the children to find. Later he steps out and puts a blanket around Scout’s shoulders during the cold night that Miss Maudie’s house burned down. However, the bravest thing shy Boo Radley does is protect the children. Somehow, he knows that Bob Ewell is going after the children and he is there to save them and to kill Ewell.
Courage to Do the Right Thing
Atticus Finch shows courage by continuing to provide the best possible defense for Tom Robinson despite discouragement and suggestions to do otherwise. His courage is the same courage that Mrs. Dubose shows, the courage to attempt an impossible feat when you know you will probably fail.
He explains his actions to the children by saying “This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience—Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.” (104) Atticus’ explanation reveals that his courage is based in a strong sense of honor and justice.
Harper Lee’s portrait of Ewell reveals that cowards prey on the weak. Lee’s diverse portraits of bravery reveal that bravery is found in many people and is manifested in different ways for different reasons. However, perhaps the most important aspect of bravery that Lee reveals in her characters is that the bravest are often the weakest.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Warner Books, Inc. 1982. ISBN 0-446-31078-6
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