He was licked before he began. Courage is doing what you think is right even when the odds of succeeding are against you. "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. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." spoken by the character Atticus. Jem and scouts father is well aware of his family's disapproval towards his Tom Robinson case but he believes in doing what he think is right despite the lack of support.
Scouts Cousin Francis, whom is just as prejudice as his grandmother, tells scout that her father is a nigger defending disgrace to the family. Scout is not quite sure what this means but she knows it isn’t respectful. Aunt Alexandria is visiting them and like the rest of the town is racist and is hinting towards Atticus that he should fire Calpurnia and quit his case. Atticus is a very brave and strong individual for putting up with everyone’s gossip and hatred and to stand up for what he believes in, for if he didn’t he would never be able to face his children again. He is truly the meaning of the word Courage. It would be very difficult and tough to have your children hear all this about you and get so upset about it when all you can really do it just sit and wait for the trial to end, so they can be tortured no further.
Atticus has to hear about what people say about him through his children, they report back to him as soon as they hear it. For example, When they were taking care of Mrs.Dubose she said a great deal of hatred towards Atticus but would never say it to his face, only his children. Almost all of Maycomb except the black community is trying to talk him out of pursuing the case but Atticus simply won’t. He loves everyone and everything and thinks everyone deserves a chance, whether they are white, black, or every color in-between. As Scout once said"I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks." does a little girl have more common sense than a majority of the world at this time? "So it took an eight-year-old child to bring them to their senses.... That proves something - that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children." The animals being racists, and the eight-year-old being Scout.
Atticus is defending a black man in a rape case, it’s difficult to find any support but his children are seemingly the only thing that is getting him through all this. Aunt Alexandria is completely unhappy with Atticus’s decision to defend a man, because of course if he is black he is a bad person. You just can’t win with a subject like this in the depression, but Atticus’s determination and courage shows throughout this story. He doesn't care what people think of him, only what he thinks of himself. If he believes what he is doing is right, then he will stick to it no matter what the towns people say. He is a man of his word and sticks things out to the end so he can set an example for the best things in his life, Jem and Scout. "The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." ~spoken by the character Atticus.
This case will change the way Maycomb will see Atticus and his family. Whether that be good or bad Atticus is proud of what he has done. In an area filled with racism and criticism towards differences in skin / personality this case shines beyond, having Atticus show them what fools they are for being so one-sided and unwilling to be accepting that what Tom Robinson is saying is the honest truth, for he is black. The readers of this book must all agree that we hope Atticus changed the towns perspective a little towards black people or people with differences. Atticus would not stop until justice was served, but served correctly. A man should never be discriminated against for the skin color in which he was born with. Whether Negro or white we all look the same beneath our skin, most of Maycomb doesn't understand this. Their childish ways and the ways they've grown up. All their life they have been told that black people are bad people, scary people, do not go near them they will hurt you. Atticus shed a little light on this and let them know that in most cases that is not true. There was still hope to win the trial if he got good enough evidence.
Fully convinced that he was going too loose the trial, Atticus still persevere to prove this Negro man innocent in a racist town. Scout and her brother Jem have to put up with the towns gossip and nonsense almost every day, it truly takes a toll on them after a while. Scout being so defensive and loving towards her dad gets in many fights, fighting for her father's dignity. Just about everyone in the town of Maycomb except Scout and Jem is unimpressed with Atticus's efforts to try tod defend a black man. They know their dad is a good man for what he is doing and that he will fight for this mans freedom no matter how much trouble it gets him into. Atticus loves everyone, whether they are white, black, or every color in-between.
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