Over the past hundred years, American culture appears to have, on the whole, become less racist and prejudiced. Overall, U.S. society has not yet reached a period of total racial reform in which judgment and reason are always applied to the events of everyday life. Racism, prejudice and stereotypes still abound. Those who persevere despite society's harsh racist realities are those who demonstrate true courage, exhibiting their internal intentions and external actions. This courage can be found in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The novel focuses on the trials and tribulations of racism in the United States in the 1930s through the perspective of a young white girl named Scout Finch, whose father is defending a black man from false accusations of rape by a white woman in a city where racism and segregation are still prevalent. Tom Robinson's inner courage is important, because without it he would not be able to show outer courage. Tom Robinson, the maliciously accused black man, is a true example of courage to Scout, her father Atticus Finch, and the rest of Maycomb County. Tom Robinson displays the greatest amount of internal and external courage of any character in the novel, facing one of the cruelest types of personal and legal accusations anyone could have to endure in a public forum. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on the topic "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an Original Essay Tom Robinson's ability to remain diligent by expressing outward verbal courage and maintaining his honesty and facing rape allegations alongside law enforcement, the accuser and his father, and any prejudiced individual in the Maycomb County, proves his mettle under conditions no one else in Maycomb has to endure. During the trial, Tom Robinson expresses verbal perseverance, despite being placed in an extremely uncomfortable situation. At the moment he knows that the jury is constantly examining him and notes that the chances of him being proven innocent are grim. He is trying to prove his version of events, which specifically means that he is contradicting what the accuser had previously stated, almost if not completely. During the trial, her accuser, Mayella Ewell, had stated that Tom Robinson was the individual who had taken advantage of her, in a mendacious manner, and falsified her testimony. Now that Tom is testifying, he realizes that it may not be worth telling his side of the story, the truth, to the court. Yet despite the seemingly hopeless situation, he continues to stand his ground in what he firmly believes in. “Afraid of arrest, afraid of having to face what you did?… No suh, afraid of what I would have to face what I didn't do” (Lee 265). Not giving in to the charges brought against him, Tom Robinson demonstrates outward courage by persisting despite social pressures and using honesty throughout, even when his testimony becomes embarrassing to discuss publicly. Tom's courage is based on integrity because he has the heart to exemplify a kind of courage that it allows him to treat someone with courtesy and sympathy, only to then see that same person respond conveniently with false accusations and biased testimony, because Tom is a black man, therefore lacking respect from others in the community understanding the situation of another, in this case his accuser Mayella, demonstrates inner courage Tom Robinson knew about the situation of his accuser, Mayella Ewell, in advance (before.