Symbol of the Mockingbird

Symbol of the Mockingbird

Society says all men are created equal, but it that really true? It is said throughout the book that it is a sin to kill mockingbirds because they do no harm to anyone. The characters throughout the book find out what the meaning of being a mockingbird is when innocent people get blamed for things they did not do. The symbol of a mockingbird is easily compared to Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley because they portray the attributes of the mockingbird. It was Atticus who first said when he was talking to Jema bout shooting birds, “…remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119). When Scout asked Miss Maudie about it, she replied, “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). There are many examples of Atticus being stereotyped as a mockingbird throughout the story. For example, Atticus defends Tom Robinson during the trial (236) because he felt that Tom deserved a fair trial, and Atticus proved him innocent, but they did not win the trial because of Tom being black. Like the mockingbird, black people in this time had no voice of their own. Another reason why Atticus is similar to the mockingbird is because when Boo brought Jem home after being hurt, he found out that Boo murdered Mr. Ewell for trying to hurt Scout and Jem . Yet he didn’t call the police because he didn’t want to make it a big deal for Boo. “Bob fell on his own knife” (367). At the end of the book, it is Scout who understands why Atticus changes the story about Mr. Ewell’s death and she says, “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it” (370) if they let Boo go to jail for doing what he did. Atticus can also be compared to a mockingbird because when Mr.Ewell spit on Atticus (218) for defending Tom, Atticus just simply wiped the spit off of his face, and did not make a scene about it. He did not spit back, or try to fight with Mr. Ewell, he just wiped the spit off of his face and got in the car and went home. Atticus is an example of a mockingbird because he always tries to see the best in people, he never judges them, and he always tries to help instead of harm. He also speaks through the law and many, who think they know him, don’t really know what he really thinks (182), specifically about race and justice. Another example of using the mockingbird as a symbol would be Tom Robinson. Tom is similar to a mockingbird because mockingbirds represent innocence. Tom Robinson was innocent during the trial, and had all of the legal evidence to back him up. (236) Tom is also like a mockingbird because on his way home from work he would stop at Mayella’s house to help her with little tasks she asked him to do, and didn’t even charge her (255). “Why’d you help Mayella? Why didn’t you just keep walking?” asked Atticus. “I felt sorry for her.” Tom replied (256). Tom is a symbol of a mockingbird because he was clearly innocent, and only tried to help Mayella, but he gets charged for rape. Like a mockingbird, Tom never tried to harm anyone, and like the mockingbird, most of the town only knows Tom through the words and eyes of others and don’t know him personally. They do not know what a kind and generous person he is. They only judge him by the color of his skin and what others say about him. Mr. Underwood compared Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children (323). Boo Radley is another innocent who can also be compared to a mockingbird because mockingbirds are harmless, and Boo tries to keep to himself because of all the stories people have started: “Boo was just sitting there with his scissors, when his mother walked by, he took his scissors, stabbed her in the leg, pulled them back out, and kept on scrapbooking!” Ms. Maudie told Dill (16). Because of these, Boo stays inside and never comes out unless to leave treats for the children (78) or to protect them against harm from Mr. Ewell. The author believes that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy” (119).This can mean that it would be a sin to kill Boo when all he does is stay at home because he is scared of the people. In this case killing Boo would be compared to killing an innocent mockingbird. Boo is also like a mockingbird in that no one really knows him personally; they only know him through the words and eyes of others. If he was guilty of bad things in the past, as the rumors have it, he has paid for his deeds and is now sort of a prisoner in his own home. Mr. Tate and Atticus both understand that it would serve no purpose to send Boo to jail for protecting the children (370) and justice would not be served. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird is both harmless and innocent and never speaks up with its own voice. Atticus, Tom, and Boo were only standing up for what they believed in. All three people were harmless; they did not ever hurt anyone. No one really knew who they really were. That is why it is so sad that they were each persecuted though innocent – what the townspeople did to them was like killing an innocent mockingbird.