Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird depicts life in the small southern town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s during the Depression. It is a story told by a young girl named Scout, whose father is Atticus Finch, a courageous lawyer. In the novel, Atticus is asked to defend Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape. Although Atticus believes that Tom is innocent, he realizes that society will not give him a chance but still decides to defend him. The small Southern town is shaken by the trial as Atticus questions their morals when they find Tom guilty. Throughout the story Scout matures and learns different types of courage not only from her father but also from people she least expects to show courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a true sense of heroism is shown when the main characters display different types of courage in various difficult social situations. The main character is Atticus Finch. He is a widower, father, lawyer and neighbor, a common man living his life in a small, simple community (Jones 34). He is a sincere and caring human being who has strong beliefs about equality and is not interested in what others have to say or think about his actions. He is a man who tries to teach his children, Scout and Jem, lessons of courage through his own life. Show courage by choosing to defend Tom Robinson. When Atticus Finch is asked to defend Tom Robinson, he immediately agrees, without worrying about how others would look at him (Asimow 96). By not caring what others think, Atticus is able to show his children the courage to stand up for what one believes regardless of the social consequences. Later, Atticus reveals his courage to the town when...... paper... despite all the lies that are told about him in court. He continued to show his morality and courage even when he refused to call Mayella a liar, but said that he didn't remember the truth correctly. In the end, it turned out that Boo “Arthur” Radley was the unexpected brave character who saved the children's lives. A recluse, who never left his home, not only found the courage to leave his home, but also went above and beyond to protect the Finch children from Bob Ewell's murderous intentions. These three characters showed immense courage in their difficult situations not by winning fights or killing but simply by standing up for what is right and moral. Harper Lee, through these characters, demonstrated that their courage allowed them to take moral responsibility by being respectful, kind and essentially becoming the heroes of the novel.