‘to kill a mockingbird’ by harper lee: analysis

7/29/2019 ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee: Analysis

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C U L M I N A T I N G P R O J E C T # 2 : I N T R I N S I C

H E R O E S

Prepared for: Ms. Joy Bell

Prepared by: Favour Nerrise, C1

Date: December 22, 2012



INTRINSIC HEROES

„To Kill a Mockingbird‟ by Harper Lee is a text with very strong morals, especially

the classic tale of good versus evil in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Set in the

South of the US, Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930‟s the text tells a story of a decent

Negro man, Tom Robinson, being wrongly accused of the rape of a red-necked white

girl. He was wrongly accused for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is

also of a widowed hard working father, Atticus Finch, who as a lawyer rises above the

prejudice of local Maycomb society to defend this black man in court against a more or

less racist town of people, stuck with the idea that Negroes are simply inferior and a

different breed of people to all white folk. The novel clearly sets up most characters as

either a hero, or a villain through unconventional ways without looking at the obvious

choice of the “man with the gun” (149). Although Atticus seems to be the clear hero in

the story, some other improbable heroes are evident such as Mrs. Dubose and the Finch

children. The one thing that raises them to hero status is also the one thing that hurts them

so much. In ’To Kill a Mockingbird’, Harper Lee portrays true heroes, such as

Atticus and his children, as people who persevere through hardships even though

they know that they will lose.

In the dictionary, a hero is described as an object of extreme admiration and

devotion, an idol. A hero is usually the core character of a text; a hero is a character who

throughout a novel constantly emphasizes the text‟s central themes or morals, is

courageous, and puts others before him/herself. Intrinsic is used to describe an object or

subject of great internal value, hence genuine, or true.



The Finch children begin to learn the meaning of a true hero and begin to show it

themselves. Scout, still at a young age does not fully understand the meaning of a true

hero, but at the request of her father, becomes an example of one. At school, Scout is

widely known for her quick temper and ability to get in fights. When Atticus took the

case, Scout got in a lot more fights to not only openly defend her honor, but to defend her

family‟s as well. However, Atticus confronts her and tells her to hold her “head up high

and keep those fists down”, which upsets Scout (101). The following day, Scout decides

to listen to Atticus and when challenged by Cecil Jacobs, Scout decides the walk away.

Children begin to call her a coward and laugh at her but Scout keeps her head up high.

Even though she knows that kids will insult her, Scout goes through with it anyways. Jem

also becomes an example of a hero when he is at the jailhouse with the Sarum mob.

Despite being severely outnumbered, Jem decides to stand by his father and defend the

door of the jailhouse. Armed with guns and other weapons, the Sarum mob can seriously

hurt Jem, but he does not care. All that matters to him is that he stands by his father and

supports what he believes in. This just shows that true heroes do not have to be old and

wise, and do not have to make huge sacrifices. They just need to stand up for their beliefs

in times where there is no support whatsoever.

An unlikely hero in the book is Mrs. Dubose, who strongly overcame her morphine

addiction. At first, Mrs. Dubose is seen as an evil and prejudiced character that hates Jem

and Scout. Atticus reminds them to see it from her point of view before judging her,

which leads to them learning about her drug addiction. Mrs. Dubose needed the children



to help her through it, yet she suffered in silence. Moreover, she was very ill and close to

dying. The real courage came from the fact that although she knows that she will die, she

still tries to overcome her addiction, no matter how painful and difficult it is. Atticus‟

description of true heroes is “when you know you‟re licked before you begin but you

begin anyway and you see it through no matter what (149).” In the end, Mrs. Dubose is

able to die honorably and free from her demons. Even though it did not matter much, it

was still important to her, and that is what makes her a true hero.

Another undermined hero in „To Kill a Mockingbird‟ is Calpurnia. Although mostly

viewed as a housekeeper, she is a very significant character especially as a mother figure

to the Finch children. Calpurnia displayed heroic moments when she took the courage of

knocking on everyone‟s door when there was a loose, mad dog roaming the streets, and

when she defended Jean-Louise and Jeremy at her church against Luna. In the rural

South, it was considered inappropriate for a Negro to visit a white folk‟s house unless

invited; yet, she did what she considered right while dejecting the possible consequences.

In addition, Calpurnia took Jeremy and Jean Louise to her church while knowing Aunt

Alexandra will not be pleased. At her church, Luna, a Negro troublemaker, protested

about her bringing “white chillun” to a Negro church, but she stands up for them and says

they are her “comp‟ny “(158).

Atticus Finch is the intrinsic hero of the book because he takes the biggest risk,

despite knowing that he will definitely lose. Atticus shows in many cases, the definition

of a true hero but no situation was more important than the Tom Robinson trial. In

Maycomb, the thought of taking a Negro‟s word over a white man‟s is ludicrous to the



citizens, especially over a matter as serious as a black man raping a white woman.

Regardless of this information, Atticus still takes Tom Robinson‟s case and tries to make

as big of a difference as possible. When Scout asks him if he thinks that he will win the

case, Atticus calmly replies “No, honey (101).” Atticus goes on to explain that “Simply

because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to

win (101).” Atticus believes that just because it is unlikely that he will win, does not

mean he has to give up before trying. In the weeks before the trial, the Finch family had

to endure huge amounts of discrimination because of the case. Atticus specifically

received discrimination from people such as Mrs. Dubose and his own sister. It even went

as far as his nephew saying that “He‟s ruinin‟ the family…” and that they will not be able

to walk the streets anymore (110). Through all these hardships, Atticus remains strong

and focuses on his goal, no matter how tough it is. In his closing statements, Atticus pleas

to the jury in a manner that the children have never seen before: “His voice had lost its

aridity, its detachment (271).” He was not speaking as a professional, he was pleading

from his heart for them to abandon their set biases. He knows in his heart that they will

not, but that does not stop him from trying. Even Scout knows deep down that the verdict

will be guilty, when she compares watching Atticus‟ efforts to “watching Atticus walk

down the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time

knowing that the gun was empty (282).” This metaphor explains that Scout knows all

along that Tom Robinson will be judged guilty and sees that Atticus is trying so hard for

no reason. When the verdict actually comes and unanimously finds Tom Robinson guilty,

Atticus has nothing to do but feel proud that he might have made a difference. This after

all, is all he could possibly have done.



Heroes come in many forms, whether it is a soldier in the war or an old lady

overcoming an addiction. Harper Lee believes that intrinsic heroes are not the ones with

the guns but the ones who persevere, even though they know that they will lose. Brave

does not even begin to describe the people who go through so much pain for a lost cause.

The universal image of a hero is a young physically able man who uses his strength to

solve problems. In „To Kill a Mockingbird‟, the heroes come in many shapes and sizes,

from a frail old lady to a twelve year old boy. This just goes to show, that in our world,

anyone can be a hero and everyone should be respected for his or her efforts.



BIBLIOGRAPHY

eNotes. “Who is the true hero in „To Kill a Mockingbird‟?”

2009. 20 Dec. 2012. < http://www.enotes.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/q-and-a/who-true-

hero-kill-mockingbird-72629>.

Kaylee. "To Kill a Mockingbird Essay: True Heroes"

5 April 2009. 20 Dec. 2012. <http://kayleeidea.blogspot.com/2009/04/to-kill-

mockingbird-essay-true-heroes.html>.

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1960.

SparkNotes. To Kill A Mockingbird.

13 December 2012. 20 December 2012

<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/themes.html>.

http://www.enotes.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/q-and-a/who-true-hero-kill-mockingbird-72629




‘to kill a mockingbird’ by harper lee: analysis

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