Quotes That Show Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

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There are countless ways to show courage, whether it being inviting a new kid to sit next to you at lunch or to refuse to stand down for what you believe in. Likewise, Walter Cunningham Jr. in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird displayed courage in many ways, including humility and taking opportunities. First of all, Walter shows bravery when he refuses to take what he cannot repay. For example, when Walter does not bring a lunch on the first day of school, Miss Caroline offers him a quarter, “‘Go and eat downtown today. You can pay me back tomorrow.’ Walter shook his head. ‘Nome thank you ma’am’ he drawled softly” (19). Walter’s family believes that they should not receive anything that they cannot repay, they believe that they can get by on their …show more content…
Also, Walter’s family makes a living off of farming, and farmers were some of the people that were hit the hardest when the great depression struck. Everyone in Maycomb county is poor, however Walter’s family is one of the poorest. It is difficult to refuse such a tempting offer, nonetheless Walter stays true to his word and refuses the money. A second way that Walter showed courage is when he turned on a dime to accept an offer. For instance, Jem invites Walter to come have lunch at his house to help resolve Scout’s dislike of Walter. “Walter stood where he was, biting his lip. Jem and I gave up, and we were nearly at the Radley Place when Walter called, ‘Hey, I’m comin’!’” (23) Again, Walter’s family does not agree with taking something that they cannot repay, however Walter eating lunch with the Finches shows that he is going against how he was taught to behave. Walter is making decisions for himself and a free meal is much more appetizing than going hungry it was a difficult decision for Walter to go with the Finches, and it was a courageous one. Overall, there are many ways that people show courage, and the ways Walter Cunningham Jr. shows are sacrifice