How Does Boo Radley Show Courage

Imagine trying to live in a town where you are not only judged by your skin color but treated as if you are nothing and lower than the white people. What most people wouldn't have is courage in this situation. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, if these white folks had been black they would have showed the most courage and led by example for all blacks to stand up for themselves. This would end up showing the townspeople that they shouldn't judge others and discriminate against them just because they are a different skin color. Courage is defined in To Kill A Mockingbird in several situations. The characters are put up to face danger or pain without fear. The courage they show gives them power and expands their self-understanding …show more content…
Boo Radley shows a couple of ways of being courageous, he does this when he saves Jem & Scouts life, deals with the rumors, and when he’s around other people. Walking into the house from just being attacked by Bob Ewell, Scout says “ By the time I reached the corner the man was crossing our front yard. Light from our front door framed Atticus for an instant; he ran down the steps , and together he and the man took Jem inside.” Boo radley is very brave in this moment because all his life he's been locked in his house, having the courage to leave his house, he sees Jem and Scout getting attacked. He ends up protecting Jem and Scout by stabbing and killing Bob Ewell. Rumors have been spread throughout town between all the children about Boo. On page 16 its said, “ He dined on raw squirrels and any rats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained.” He shows courage here by fighting through all the rumors and still living life. He shows everyone that they are wrong in the end and that he is a good, caring, courageous person and not what they say he is. He shows more of his true self when he is against the wall in the living room. Scout says, “ He had been leaning against the wall when I came into the room, his arms across the chest. As i pointed he brought his arms down and pressed the palms of his hands against the wall.” ( page 363 ). Boo shows courage in this …show more content…
He shows courage when he protects the town, associating with calpurnia, and believing in his words. With the incident that has happened in Maycomb, from the start the Judge already had his decision of saying Tom is guilty. Atticus says to Scout, “ simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” (page 101). Atticus shows courage here because even though he knows he has no chance in winning the trial , he still tries to get Tom Robinson out of the case and not guilty. With the whole town having a hatred on blacks, Atticus sees everyone as equals. He’s once said, “ I'm simply defending a negro - his names Tom Robinson.” ( page 100). Atticus is courageous in this moment because he's defending a black person while being white. Every other lawyer either wouldn't have taken the case or wouldn't have gave an effort in actually trying to help Tom because he is black. On behalf of Atticus treating blacks as equals, Scout tells us on page 6, “ We lived on the main residential street in town- Atticus, Jem, & I, plus Calpurnia our cook.” Atticus shows courage here by having a black female live in the same house as him. He allows Calpurnia to take care and discipline his children as if she's their mother. This is courageous because everyone else in Maycomb doesn’t allow this and treats