In Chapter 10, Atticus does something that Jem and Scout believe is completely out of character--he shoots and kills a rabid dog.
In an earlier scene, Scout and Jem ironically complain to Miss Maudie that their father is old and boring. Miss Maudie responds by saying, "You'd be surprised [...] there's some life in him yet." Atticus lives up to her praises by swiftly taking down the rabid dog with one shot from a rifle when it begins charging up the street at him. Even the Sheriff, Heck Tate, is too poor of a shot to take down the dog.
After the dog is killed, Miss Maudie says, "I think maybe [Atticus] put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided he wouldn't shoot till he had to, and he had to today." Jem and Scout learn a pivotal lesson about their father here: real bravery is using stepping up when nobody else will.
SOURCES:
https://cleveracademy.vn/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird.pdf
In chapter 10, Jem notices a sick dog staggering down the middle of the street and runs to tell Calpurnia about it. When Calpurnia sees the sick dog, she immediately recognizes that the dog has rabies. Calpurnia instructs the children to stay inside and calls the operator to inform the community that a rabid dog is walking through town. When Sheriff Tate and Atticus arrive on the scene, Sheriff Tate gives his rifle to Atticus and asks him to shoot the rabid dog. While the other citizens are safely behind closed doors, Atticus courageously stands in the middle of the street aiming his rifle at the rabid dog. Atticus demonstrates his bravery by shooting the dog while it walks in his direction. After Atticus kills the dangerous animal, Jem is speechless, and Scout is astonished at her father's marksmanship abilities. The fact that Atticus never told his children that he was a talented marksman also reveals his humility.
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