Who is the hero in To Kill a Mockingbird?
There is more than one hero in To Kill a Mockingbird, but Boo Radley is a special kind of hero.
Boo Radley is interesting to discuss as a hero because in the beginning of the book he is a villain, in the legendary sense.
The children are fascinated with Boo Radley. He never comes out, and he has an interesting story of madness and violence, but also with an undertone of sadness.
The Radley Place was inhabited by an unknown entity the mere description of whom was enough to make us behave for days on end… (ch 1)
The children have detailed fantasies about Boo Radley. They imagine him as violent, eating animals raw and with jagged scars. They also act out the details of his life, first as part of the fantasy, and then with truthful elements stitched together from neighborhood gossip.
The children desperately want to make...
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Boo come out. They even try to convince him that they are his friends. Slowly, their overtures get results. It is soon clear that Boo is watching them—and watching over them—from the safety of his house.
Boo begins by leaving presents for the kids, and intervening in their safety in small ways. He puts a blanket over Scout’s shoulders as she watches the fire, and he saves Jem from punishment by mending and returning his pants. The children begin to see him as a friend, and are saddened when he no longer leaves them gifts.
Boo also sees when Bob Ewell follows the children and tries to attack them with a knife. He intervenes, saving the children and fatally stabbing their attacker. Heck Tate and Atticus agree to keep this a secret, because Boo’s heroism would bring him fame he would not be able to handle.
Atticus is fully aware of what a hero Boo is. Before Boo returns home, he tells him so.
"Thank you for my children, Arthur," he said. (ch 31)
Not all heroes are outgoing. Some stay quietly in the shadows and behind the scenes.
What is Harper Lee's definition of a hero in To Kill a Mockingbird?
Clearly, Atticus Finch is the mouthpiece for Harper Lee in many situations. Indeed, his is the voice of patience and wisdom. In Chapter 10, for instance, he instructs Scout that she should try to become the other person and "walk in his skin" in order to understand him. Then, in Chapter 11, after having assigned Jem to read to Mrs. Dubose as punishment for having destroyed her camellias, she courageously withdraws from laudanum, an opiate. Hearing that she has withdrawn, Atticus defines a hero to his children,
"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing 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."
In addition to being Harper Lee's mouthpiece, Atticus Finch exemplifies his own definition of a person with courage; in other words, a hero. For, he takes on the case for Tom Robinson knowing that he will probably lose the case. Nevertheless, he "sees it through" and earns the approbation of many. And, after Atticus loses the case, Miss Maudie consoles Atticus's sister, Alexandra, telling her,"We're paying the highest tribute we can pay a man," meaning that the town recognizes the integrity of Atticus and respects him for having had the courage to defend Tom.