To Kill A Mockingbird Paragraphs (9-11)

Did you know that in his day and age, Atticus Finch was the best shot in Maycomb? Until a mad dog named Tim Johnson comes charging down the street, Jem and Scout had no idea. To Scout this is an instant redeeming quality, she does not hesitate in wanting to tell the whole town (and Cecil Jacobs) about this new discovery. It is especially amazing to her because she believes Atticus does very little that is dynamic and interesting, like drive a garbage truck or play tackle football. He just reads. So when a mad dog comes down the street, and the town calls Heck Tate -the Sheriff- and Atticus Finch, Scout and Jem are surprised to see their father take the rifle forced upon him, take aim, and shoot. Atticus pushing back the glasses he needs to see with and then hitting Tim Johnson perfectly is amazing to both his children, who have never even seen their father hold a gun before. Both Jem and Scout are surprised to learn this, but Jem also understands why his father never mentioned it to them before. His answer to Scout shows that he truly is growing up.

Why did Atticus never mention it to Jem and Scout? Miss Maudie somewhat explains this to Scout when she says “I think maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided he wouldn’t shoot till he had to, and he had to today.” Atticus is the best shot in Maycomb, but the fact that he never carries a gun is testament to his character. He wouldn’t take pride in something that causes unfair harm, or even death to other life. Jem sees this, I think, as well, which is why he tells Scout not to brag about Atticus around town; he never mentioned it to them for a reason. He wouldn’t care if Atticus couldn’t do anything at all.   

“I wanted you to see something about her- 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.” – Atticus

In ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, courage appears in many different forms. Perhaps one of its most curious manifestations is Ms. Dubose, a cantankerous, elderly, and very rude morphine addict.  When Jem destroys her flower garden, he is forced to spend time each day reading to her and he brings Scout with him. Neither of the two children really know what is going on, they are confused and rather disgusted by her fits of withdrawal and do not understand the purpose of the alarm clock she sets later each day. It is only one day, when she passes away, that Atticus explains it to them. Though she was dying, and in a great deal of pain, she refused to take morphine to combat her suffering. She was facing an addiction and wanted to die beholden to nothing and no one. And she succeeded in beating her addiction; in her mind, she died free. Courage, as Atticus says, is not a man holding a gun. It is “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” Courage takes many forms, both in To Kill A Mockingbird, and in real life.