Examples Of Judgement In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

12/6/11

Wayne Dyer once said, “Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lie beyond appearances.” With judgment as a reoccurring theme, Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird consists of great resemblances between the characters Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. In the novel, killing a mockingbird is considered a symbol of destruction of innocence. Many “mockingbirds” exist in the story, which takes place in the Deep South in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. The novel depicts the life of its young narrator Jean Louise "Scout" Finch and the events surrounding a trial for Tom Robinson, an African American
man, falsely convicted and killed by his racist community. Boo Radley is a shy and innocent man unfairly judged and shunned by his neighbors. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson come from very different backgrounds considering one lives in isolation with his taciturn brother and the other is a Negro who lives with his wife and children among friends. As the story progresses, the reader can notice how Tom and Boo are more similar than it appears and how they resemble mockingbirds as described by Harper Lee. Both are good men who are put down because of their “differences” from the other townspeople of Maycomb. By looking at the characteristics of these men, the reader can understand that they are similar in the sense that they are both generous yet judged for unfair assumptions; Tom, Boo, and mockingbirds are alike because of their harmlessness and innocence.
Boo Radley’s and Tom Robinson’s characteristics of being generous and judged for unfair assumptions lead them to be a similar type of individual.
Boo’s signs of generosity are displayed in several ways. Atticus says, “Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.” “Thank who”? “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you (96).” Boo shows a generous side of him that cares about others in this scene. Near the end of the novel, Scout says, “Mr. Ewell was tryin’ to squeeze me to death, I reckon…then somebody yanked Mr. Ewell down (361).” Boo’s pure generosity in his heart causes him to save Jem and Scout from being killed by Mr.Ewell. Tom Robinson’s signs of generosity are displayed through his actions towards Mayella, Tom’s accuser. When Tom is asked if he is paid by Mayella for his services, he replies, “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun, and I knowed she didn’t have no nickels to spare (256).” Tom helped Mayella out of true compassion and generosity without expecting anything in return. Another similarity is that Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both unfairly judged because of their “differences” from the people of Maycomb. Boo Radley is a man who prefers to live in isolation and never be seen outside of his house. Since the people of the town see that he is different than them, they create the
assumption that he is bad and evil. Scout says, “inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows (10).” Bob becomes a figure of superstition and an excuse for bad things happening. People spread multiple rumors about Boo causing him to withhold a bad reputation and be judged without valid reason. Like Boo Radley, Tom Robinson also is characterized by what the stereotypical people of Maycomb County say about him. Because he is accused of rape, most of the people look down upon him. During the trial Bob Ewell says, "I’ve seen that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella (173).” Tom is just a normal black man being caught up and destroyed by Maycomb’s racism. Tom is announced guilty yet, the evidence Atticus brings to court clearly proves him innocent. Tom has no chance in this trial and loses his life solely because of the color of his skin. Both of the characters, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are judged because of things on the outside and not for their true generous selves.
Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are human-like figures of mockingbirds because of their harmlessness and innocence.
The two characters resemble mockingbirds in the way that they are harmless because they never caused trouble for anybody. Boo Radley can be compared to the harmless mockingbird described by Atticus and Mrs. Maudie. Mrs. Maudie says, “mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird (119).” Thus, Boo Radley and mockingbirds are alike as Boo never hurts anyone and primarily keeps to himself. Scout says, “Boo doesn’t mean anybody harm, but I’m glad you’re along (251).” He does nothing to really hurt anyone and always tries to search for love and friendship from others. He is shown to be kind towards others as he saves the lives of the Finch kids and places a blanket around Scout when it was cold outside. It is a sin to kill a Mockingbird that just sings for people’s enjoyment as it’s considered a sin to judge people by outside things. Similar to Boo Radley and mockingbirds, Tom never harms a soul. He risks his own safety by helping Mayella because of the true kindness of his heart and desire to help someone in need. During the trial, Mr. Link Deas says, “That boy’s worked for me eight years an’ I ain’t had a speck o’ trouble outa him. (261).” People assume that of course any
African-American man would rape any white woman, given the chance. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson also resemble mockingbirds because of their innocence. Boo Radley can be compared to the innocent mockingbird described. By the way Tom presents himself, he shows he is a good guy who is just trying to help out a fellow human-being in need. The only feelings he has for Mayella are compassion and pity. Scout says, “High above us in the darkness a solitary mocker poured out his repertoire in blissful unawareness of whose tree he sat in, plunging from the shrill kee, kee of the sunflower bird to the irascible qua-ack of a bluejay, to the sad lament of Poor Will, Poor Will, Poor Will (342).” The mockingbird represents innocence as well as Boo. Jem says, “I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us, he ain’t ever hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried mend my pants instead…he ain’t ever hurt us, Atticus (96).” Boo Radley is an innocent man who was wrongly confined by his father after a childish prank. He is referred to as a mockingbird because of his innocence. His innocence can be seen when he leaves gifts for Jem and Scout, which is the only form of contact he has with the outside world. Tom Robinson is another character who can be compared with the mockingbird because of his innocence. He is a genuinely kind person who in the end is destroyed by his willingness to help Mayella Ewell. Scout says, “He seemed to be a respectable Negro, and a respectable Negro would never go up into somebody’s yard of his own volition (257).” Tom is innocent, yet, he is killed because of the color of his skin, despite his kindness. Boo and Tom never have any intention to really hurt anyone and do not deserve to be shot down by society. The social prejudice against both these men is extremely unfair as they never did anything wrong to anyone. In this way, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson relate to mockingbirds through their harmlessness and innocence.
Boo Radley and Tom Robinson being generous, judged, harmless, and innocent show how they are alike and exemplify a mockingbird. They share generous natures, in which they give much to others without expecting anything in return. However, their generous natures are misunderstood. They share being prejudged using common stereotypes. Boo is judged based on the town gossip that he is isolated, whereas Tom is judged by his race and appearance. The townspeople mistakenly arbitrated both the characters as well as the mockingbird to be harmful, while they are truly very harmless. Tom is destroyed by his own kindness because he helped Mayella Ewell and Boo is destroyed because of judgment while he is actually harmless. Just like them, the mockingbird is killed for being kind and trying to share its music with the townspeople. They also share innocence with a mockingbird because Tom helps Mayella chop woods, as an act of kindness, and she tempts him. Tom is mistaken as a stereotypical black man with no rights just as a mockingbird can be mistaken for a troublesome blue jay. Boo is judged even though he is an innocent hero as he, not only does nothing wrong, but he risks his life to help others. Just like Boo Radley, the mockingbird risks its life to sing to the townspeople. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the mockingbird is an animal symbolic of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, as neither one has caused harm, and prove only to have pure hearts.