Moral Courage, Prejudice and Justice in to Kill a Mockingbird

“Sometimes the most important life lessons are the ones we end up learning the hard way.” This famous quote is displayed throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, as Scout and Jem engage with challenging life lessons through dismissing societal beliefs and advocating for equality. Scout and Jem are exposed to moral courage, prejudice and justice and injustice within early 1930’s society through understanding Mrs Dubose, Boo Radley and witnessing the trial scene. The maturing of Scout and Jem’s perspective amplifies the importance of the lessons learnt, while gaining a more complex understanding of the world.

Scout and Jem explore moral courage through the interaction with Mrs Dubose. The Finch children are initially fearful of Mrs Dubose due to the communities preconceived belief her character is evil and ill-tempered. However, Jem and Scout’s attitude develops through the interaction with her character, learning Mrs Dubose is a brave battler, overcoming her morphine addiction as Atticus reinforces the lesson stating, “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.” Juxtaposition is utilised within this quotation, contrasting the childish point of view to the true nature of moral courage. Through exposing Mrs Dubose’s courage to Jem and Scout, the children learn a new meaning of bravery as they mature through understanding the lesson of the importance of moral courage.

In addition, Scout develops an understanding of unwarranted prejudice through Boo Radley. Boo Radley is initially portrayed as a recluse, being described by some as a violent man or malevolent phantom. As Scout and Jem mature, they discover an innocent and compassionate “mockingbird”, through his gifting, acts of kindness and ultimately saving their lives. Scout learns the importance of destroying prejudice as she states 'Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” This metaphoric statement of considering another belief encapsulates Scouts empathy towards Boo Radley, a good individual weakened by prejudice. Scouts character grows in developing an understanding of the life lesson of dismissing prejudice beliefs.

Furthermore, Jem explores the challenging lesson of justice and injustice through observing the trial. Prior to the conviction, Jem instilled great hope in his community in delivering equality, due to his naivety. However, as the jury convicts Tom Robinson despite his innocence, Jem suddenly realises the presence of injustice within the trial as Scout states “I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between them.” The repetition of the phrase ‘guilty’ reinforces the inequality within the justice system, while Jem feeling as though he is being stabbed, is a symbol of his maturing perspectives while learning the devastating lesson of injustice. Jem was unaware of the darker side of human nature as the trial scene is the catalyst to understand the lesson of justice and injustice.

In conclusion, Scout and Jem learn challenging life lessons through gaining knowledge of moral courage, prejudice, as well as justice and injustice within society. The transition of the Finch children’s initial perspective of innocence to knowledge, amplifies the importance of the lessons learnt from the characters Mrs Dubose and Boo Radley, in addition to the trial scene. Through understanding these vital lessons, the children mature to challenge societies behaviour while gaining a complex understanding of the world.