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A mockingbird is a harmless bird that makes the world more pleasant.
In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the mockingbird symbolizes Boo
Radley and Tom Robinson, who were both peaceful people who never did
any harm. To kill or harm them would be a sin. Scout's father, Atticus,
tells Scout and Jem, "I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard,
but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if
you can hit'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."(p.69)
The mockingbird symbolizes these two characters because it does not
have its own song. Whereas, the blue jay is loud and obnoxious, the
mockingbird only sings other birds' songs. Therefore, the mockingbird
is seen through the other birds. The people of Maycomb only knew Boo
Radley and Tom Robinson by what others said about them. Both of these
characters do not really have their own "song" in a sense, and
therefore, are characterized by other people's viewpoints.
Boo Radley went through his life never wanting to hurt a fly. He
left gum, pennies, and wax dolls for Scout and Jem. He sewed Jem's
pants and left them on the fence so he could get them easily. He also
saved Scout's and Jem's lives while risking his own. Boo was a fragile
and gentle person. Throughout the novel, Scout, Jem, and Dill are
curious about the "mysterious" Boo Radley because he never comes
outside from his house or associates with anyone in the neighborhood.
The children are afraid of him because of all the stories they hear
about him from the people in Maycomb. For example, Miss Stephanie tells
the children that while Boo was sitting in the living room cutting a
magazine, he "drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them
out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities." (p.11) After
hearing stories like these, the children consider him to be evil.
Gradually they assume more about Boo because he never plays outside
or with anyone, and therefore, the children are not convinced
otherwise. Boo Radley becomes a game for the children and they act out
Boo Radley scenarios that they believed to be true. These stories were
based on the gossip that trails through their neighborhood. In reality,
no one knew anything about Boo Radley. He stayed inside of his house
and remained reclusive in Maycomb County. At the end of the book, Scout
finally meets Boo Radley after he helps her and Jem escape Mr. Ewell.
She finds that her beliefs about him are not true. Essentially, she
finds the songs that the neighbors were "putting into his mouth" were
not true.
Chopping wood and doing whatever he could for Mayella Ewell was Tom
Robinson's only crime. Just like Boo Radley, Tom never harmed a soul.
He risked his own safety by helping Mayella, and he did it because
someone needed him. It was like a mockingbird being shot down when
Robinson was accused of raping Mayella. To the people of Maycomb
County, Tom Robinson is just a "sorry negro", who committed an
unthinkable crime. Tom represents the black race in American society at
that time and was a victim of racism.
Like Boo Radley, Tom Robinson is characterized by what the people of
Maycomb County say about him. After being accused of rape, most of the
people see him as an evil beast. During the trial while Bob Ewell
testifies, he points to Tom Robinson and says, "I seen that black negro
yonder ruttin' on my Mayella." (p.73) According to Mr. Ewell, Tom
Robinson is an animal who tormented and violated his daughter.
Throughout the trial, Tom is portrayed in this manner because of the
racist mentality of the people in Maycomb. Even though there is a
sufficient amount of proof which shows he did not commit the crime, Tom
is a black man who will be denied justice. Atticus reinforces this idea
when he tells Jem, "in our courts, when it's a white man's word against
a black man's, the white man always wins." (p.220) Generally, this was
the mentality of most Americans at the time.
Black people did not have their own song, other people sang their
songs based on beliefs about them. Like Boo Radley, people only knew
Tom Robinson through what others said about him. In the book, Boo
Radley is a micro version of Tom Robinson. Boo is the outcast of the
neighborhood, but at the time, Tom was the outcast of the society.
Throughout the trial, Scout and Jem believe in Tom Robinson's
innocence. They see him for who they believe he is, and do not know
enough about racism to be part of it. They did not believe the trial
was fair because they believed there was evidence in Tom Robinson's
favor. At the end of the book, however, Scout realizes the same about
Boo Radley. When she finally meets him, she sees how unfair she had
been to him. In actuality, Boo contradicts everything that the children
believed about him. The fact that no one realized the unfair treatment
of Tom Robinson made his death that much more tragic.
Harper Lee uses the mockingbird to symbolize Tom and Boo. When
Atticus tells Jem and Scout that it is a sin to kill the mockingbird,
this refers to the actions directed toward Tom and Boo. It was a sin to
dislike Tom and Boo based on what others say about them. They were
punished by the people in Maycomb because they did not have their own
voice. There are many people without their own voice in our society. As
it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is a sin to kill those without a
voice. Scout realized that it was wrong to assume evil things about Boo
Radley. It was unfortunate that the people of Maycomb did not realize
their unfair treatment of Tom Robinson. A mockingbird was shot and that
truly was a sin.
The Mockingbird has a very deep and powerful meaning in the novel To
Kill A Mockingbird. In general, it represents peacefulness, innocence
and kindness. Characters such as Boo Radely can be compared to the
mockingbird in the title of the novel. Tom Robinson can also be
compared to the mockingbird. Yet, the mockingbird's influence does not
end there. For it can also be applied to relationship between human
beings. Thus, the Mockingbird is a powerful symbol that echoes a strong
meaning throughout the book.
Boo Radely, can be compared to the mockingbird in the title of the
novel. It is made clear in chapter 10 when Atticus and Miss Maudie
explain that you should never kill a mockingbird because all it does is
sing beautiful songs and never hurts anyone. Thus, Boo Radely is like a
mockingbird as he never hurts anyone and primarily keeps to himself.
Yet, the title is To Kill A Mockingbird and the townsfolk "kill" Boo
Radley by persecuting and ridiculing him in society simply because he
is shy and does not come out of his house. Also, in the end, Scout says
that it would be wrong to put Boo Radley on trial for killing Bob Ewell
because he did it in order to protect her and Jem. Furthermore, Scout
sees that things look the same from Boo Radley's porch as they do from
her's. Therefore, Boo Radley is a perfect example of a mockingbird and
the situation he is in is a perfect example of the title of the book.
Tom Robinson is another character won can be compared with the
mockingbird. He was a genuinely kind person who in the end is destroyed
by his willingness to help Mayella Ewell. Just like a mockingbird,
Robinson never hurt anyone. Yet, he was also persecuted by society for
his kindness and his race. Tom Robinson is a mockingbird figure in the
book. In the end, Mr. Underwood also compares a harmless songbird that
was shot down by a senseless hunter. Thus, Tom Robinson was killed
because of his kindness and the color of his skin.
The mockingbird also extends to relationships between human beings.
Some people are kind and would never harm anyone, like a mockingbird.
Yet, there are people who unjustly see past the kindness and simply see
what they want to see. This leads to issues about race and sex among
others. These people than become prejudice towards certain people.
Also, they may even "kill" the people who are genuinely kind human
beings simply because they are different. Thus, the mockingbird
illustrates prejudice relationships among human beings.
In, conclusion, the mocking represents peace, innocence and
kindness. Boo Radely is a mockingbird figure because he was a kind
person, yet he was persecuted by society for being shy and coming out
of his house. Tom Robinson was another mockingbird figure because he
was wanted to help Mayella Ewell. He wanted to do so because he was a
kind person, yet he was destroyed by his kindness. Also, relationships
among human beings can be compared to a mockingbird as some people are
kind and peaceful while others are prejudice towards them because they
are different. These people see past the good traits of people. In
general, the title illustrates that the prejudice that some people have
towards others who are peaceful and kind is wrong. Those people are
"killing a mockingbird," it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.
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