To Kill A Mockingbird Characteristics
In the To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee there are many characters who exhibit characteristics of a ¨mockingbird¨. The characteristics of a mockingbird can be viewed from various points of view of the reader. The traits I saw for a character to be a mockingbird are that they must show signs of responsibility and will take action against the beliefs of the other citizens of Maycomb, Alabama. The characters that most show the characteristics of a mockingbird are Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Jem Finch. These characters are representations of a mockingbird because they put their beliefs in use to protect others in the town or themselves from the town. Each individual shows their own way of seeing the world around them. Atticus Finch is a representation of a mockingbird because he chooses to defend Tom Robinson in his case against Mayella Ewell. At points Atticus and his children’s lives
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had been threatened. Even under the circumstances of the conflicts, Atticus was able to remain calm and humane. Atticus is also good at explaining to Scout about seeing other’s points of view, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 3.39). In this quote, he is explaining to Scout about how she should not judge Walter Cunningham Jr’s pouring syrup on all of his food. He follows his own advice when he agrees to take Tom Robinson’s case. He did have a extremely valid point when he asked both Bob Ewell and Sheriff Tate if anyone had called a doctor to check on Mayella after Tom Robinson “attacked her”. Mr. Finch shows kindness to anyone who has not wronged him, for example, he would not fire Calpurnia despite Aunt Alexandra’s pleading, and how he made Jem read to Mrs. Dubose, even after all the horrible things she has said about the Finch family. The next representation of a mockingbird is Tom Robinson.
Like everyone, Tom’s story has two sides when it comes to the day he “raped” Mayella Ewell. His side of the dispute states that Mayella tried to rape him. In his case the one sentence that made the jury members think twice is “ Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em” (Lee 19.264). In this period of time, racism was still widely accepted in the south. It was not acceptable for a black man or woman to feel sorry for a white man or woman. It was accepted that a white person was the highest class in the south. Eventually, Tom makes the decision instead of going to prison, he will try to run from the officers escorting him to jail, and in doing this one of the officers ends up shooting and kill him. Tom was able to escape easily, in the novel’s setting most cars had no doors, or they were a horse and carriage. To think that this all started when Mayella first asked him to come into the fence and chop up a chiffarobe for her. Tom was only trying to help somebody out who asked
nicely. The final character who represents a mockingbird is Jem Finch. He was able to not react to Mrs. Dubose’s remarks to his family for so long. But he did the same thing anyone would do and one day reacted to her remarks. But the way he did was not verbal. He had chopped all the heads off of Mrs. Dubose’s flowers. His punishment was very odd “She wants me to read to her… She wants me to come over every afternoon after school and on Saturdays and read to her out loud for two hours. Atticus, do I have to?” (Lee 11.140). What Jem did not know about Mrs. Dubose is that she was very close to dying, in the past she had been addicted to morphine. Most summers He, Dill, and Scout were attempting to make Boo Radley come out of his house. They were not successful, but days after school Jem and Scout would find various objects, such as; Two indian head pennies; a broken pocket watch; and gum, in a tree outside the Radley house. The last time he and Scout found two soap dolls that looked just like the two of them. That was the last time anything would come from the Radley tree, Mr. Nathan Radley filled the hole in the tree with cement, he lied saying the tree was dying, but Atticus told Jem and Scout the tree looked healthy. Eventually Jem and Scout were walking home from a pageant that Scout had participated in, they were walking home alone. Jem had heard somebody following them, except he thought it was Cecil Jacobs, but it had turned out to be Bob Ewell. Jem told Scout to run and he tried to fight off Bob Ewell, in doing so Bob Ewell Broke Jem’s arm. Bob had started to try to attack Scout but eventually was forced off of Scout by none other than Boo Radley. Boo had killed Bob Ewell, he then took Jem to the Finch house and sent Atticus and Alexandra to get Scout. All three of these characters have at some point put the wellbeing of others before their own wellbeing. Atticus took Tom Robin’s case, Tom helped Mayella, and Jem read to Mrs. Dubose and tried to have Scout run from Bob Ewell’s attack on him and Scout. A lot of characters showed potential of being a mockingbird. The three that I have chosen show the most characteristics of the symbol of a mockingbird.
had been threatened. Even under the circumstances of the conflicts, Atticus was able to remain calm and humane. Atticus is also good at explaining to Scout about seeing other’s points of view, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 3.39). In this quote, he is explaining to Scout about how she should not judge Walter Cunningham Jr’s pouring syrup on all of his food. He follows his own advice when he agrees to take Tom Robinson’s case. He did have a extremely valid point when he asked both Bob Ewell and Sheriff Tate if anyone had called a doctor to check on Mayella after Tom Robinson “attacked her”. Mr. Finch shows kindness to anyone who has not wronged him, for example, he would not fire Calpurnia despite Aunt Alexandra’s pleading, and how he made Jem read to Mrs. Dubose, even after all the horrible things she has said about the Finch family. The next representation of a mockingbird is Tom Robinson.
Like everyone, Tom’s story has two sides when it comes to the day he “raped” Mayella Ewell. His side of the dispute states that Mayella tried to rape him. In his case the one sentence that made the jury members think twice is “ Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em” (Lee 19.264). In this period of time, racism was still widely accepted in the south. It was not acceptable for a black man or woman to feel sorry for a white man or woman. It was accepted that a white person was the highest class in the south. Eventually, Tom makes the decision instead of going to prison, he will try to run from the officers escorting him to jail, and in doing this one of the officers ends up shooting and kill him. Tom was able to escape easily, in the novel’s setting most cars had no doors, or they were a horse and carriage. To think that this all started when Mayella first asked him to come into the fence and chop up a chiffarobe for her. Tom was only trying to help somebody out who asked
nicely. The final character who represents a mockingbird is Jem Finch. He was able to not react to Mrs. Dubose’s remarks to his family for so long. But he did the same thing anyone would do and one day reacted to her remarks. But the way he did was not verbal. He had chopped all the heads off of Mrs. Dubose’s flowers. His punishment was very odd “She wants me to read to her… She wants me to come over every afternoon after school and on Saturdays and read to her out loud for two hours. Atticus, do I have to?” (Lee 11.140). What Jem did not know about Mrs. Dubose is that she was very close to dying, in the past she had been addicted to morphine. Most summers He, Dill, and Scout were attempting to make Boo Radley come out of his house. They were not successful, but days after school Jem and Scout would find various objects, such as; Two indian head pennies; a broken pocket watch; and gum, in a tree outside the Radley house. The last time he and Scout found two soap dolls that looked just like the two of them. That was the last time anything would come from the Radley tree, Mr. Nathan Radley filled the hole in the tree with cement, he lied saying the tree was dying, but Atticus told Jem and Scout the tree looked healthy. Eventually Jem and Scout were walking home from a pageant that Scout had participated in, they were walking home alone. Jem had heard somebody following them, except he thought it was Cecil Jacobs, but it had turned out to be Bob Ewell. Jem told Scout to run and he tried to fight off Bob Ewell, in doing so Bob Ewell Broke Jem’s arm. Bob had started to try to attack Scout but eventually was forced off of Scout by none other than Boo Radley. Boo had killed Bob Ewell, he then took Jem to the Finch house and sent Atticus and Alexandra to get Scout. All three of these characters have at some point put the wellbeing of others before their own wellbeing. Atticus took Tom Robin’s case, Tom helped Mayella, and Jem read to Mrs. Dubose and tried to have Scout run from Bob Ewell’s attack on him and Scout. A lot of characters showed potential of being a mockingbird. The three that I have chosen show the most characteristics of the symbol of a mockingbird.