Tkam Paper

Mockingbirds may seem like a regular bird but in Maycomb they resemble innocent and harmless people. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book that focuses on racial barriers and prejudice and social class. The story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama where discriminating behavior is more or less accepted in the society. The book is based around Scout and Jem Finch as they face the years of growing up. They learn to see past the childhood innocence and to see the true horrors of their hometown. Scout and Jem learn the truth about two particularly innocent characters, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson as they have been labeled for a long time based on their race or behavioral patterns or lifestyle. Several symbols were included into the book to express these ideas in more depth, such as mockingbirds. A mockingbird is an innocent bird that does nothing but make music or mimic the calls and songs of other birds. It does not harm or disturb others around it in any way. Scout and Jem’s father tells them they can “shoot all the Blue Jays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird,” (page 69). In To Kill a Mockingbird people such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson can be seen as mockingbirds because they are people who would never do anything to harm anyone and simply live peacefully. However, both of these characters are targeted and hurt or “killed” by others in the town of Maycomb.