An estimated two African Americans were killed by lynching every week between 1880 and 1920. Others who demonstrated enough courage to stand up to protect these victims of racism were also at risk of lynching. Courage, particularly the “courage to fight for what you believe is right,” was a key factor in the civil rights movement. It is also present in the book “Killing the mockingbird” mainly in the protagonists and in those who work to protect. The antagonists, the society in the fictional town of Maycomb itself, show little courage or mercy throughout the story. Atticus Finch, the father of the narrator Jean-Louise, expresses courage the most. Shown through his acts of defending those the antagonists despise, thus going against society itself. The children also present their own acts of courage, when they do the same as their father, who simultaneously taught them his version of courage. A courage without weapons, nor violence, but rather a courage of words and the need to protect someone. Apparently, the author of the story To Kill a Mockingbird would only express courage through the protagonists and those they seek to protect. Atticus Finch, was an important figure in the novel. Not only as a character, but also as a great influence on other characters. He himself, however, may be one of the people, if not the person, who shows the most courage in the story. He is an example of courage in many situations, the most notable being the trial of Tom Robinson, the killing of Tim Johnson, and his desire to teach that courage to his children, all of which symbolize his role as a catalyst in the eradication of racism in that city. Tom Robinson's trial is the greatest example of courage as he is protecting a man who is wrong... mid-card... but you start anyway and make it no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. [Lee, 1960, p. 149]He therefore strives to teach his children the courage to stand up and protect those who find themselves in adversity, to never give up and to do everything to the end. Generally, in most stories the protagonists hold most of the good values, while the antagonists display little. In killing a mockingbird, the same is true since courage is mainly expressed in the Protagonists instead of the Antagonists. In today's world, courage where the man with a gun is considered the most. Those who do so are brave and yes, they show courage. But what about today's functional society, what about our normal life? We can't just carry a gun wherever we want. The courage that Atticus expressed to his children would fit better into our lives. As it happened in history.