To Kill A Mocking Bird

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Have you ever met one of those harmless, innocent gentleman or gentlewoman that would never do any real damage to society? In the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” there were a few of these exciting characters. Examples would include the never before seen “Boo” Radley, the chivalrous Tom Robinson, and the prestigious Atticus Finch accompanied by his darling children. The main theme of this suspenseful novel was to teach the reader that you shouldn’t, in any way, shape, or form, hurt anybody whose purpose in life is to simply make the world a better place. These three characters implied this major motif throughout the story, truly giving the impression that they are as brave and bold as superman taking down a villain.

To begin, Mr. Arthur Radley displayed characteristics equivalent to that of a mockingbird, and therefore, proved that he should not be tried or locked up for murder. Boo was locked up inside the “mysterious” Radley home for a long, long time. However, towards the end of the novel he laid his reputation on the line, “ I’ve never heard tell that it’s illegal for a citizen to do his utmost to prevent a crime from being committed, which is exactly what he did…All the ladies of Maycomb includin’ my wife’d be knocking on his door bringing angel food cakes…taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ dragging him with his shy ways into the limelight- to me, that’s a sin.’ That was Sheriff Heck Tate trying to persuade Atticus that they shouldn’t let the town of Maycomb know what actually happened, which was Boo Radley annihilating Bob Ewell with a kitchen knife to save Jem and Scout from certain death, and just go with the story that Bob slipped and fell on his own knife. That is when Scout made the connection that letting the world know of the noble deed Boo has done is just like killing a mockingbird, which was a sin in Maycomb County. So Boo was a mockingbird character for saving the lives of two curious, innocent children, and therefore should return to the whereabouts of his cozy abode in the Radley house.

Subsequently, another magnificent presence that didn’t deserve to be convicted and later shot down like a nerd getting rejected, was Tom Robinson. See, Tom was a black gentleman by nature, making him oblivious to helping a damsel in distress, even if she was white. Tom was strolling along to work when stopped as usual by Miss Mayella to do her a favor. His common courtesy couldn’t refuse and the next thing he knew, Mayella Ewell was all over him like that guy from “Jersey Shore” was all over Snooki. Unfortunately, justice was not on his side because Maycomb didn’t appreciate the color on his skin, so Tom was convicted of rape and was locked up in a prison, even though he did nothing wrong. In the prison, apparently Tom was going ballistic, and the next thing he knew, he’d climbed up the fence with the hopes of escaping like that guy from “Shaw Shank Redemption.” Instead, the guards took him down because “… It was typical of a Negro to cut and run. Typical of a Negro’s mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind first chance he saw.” Well Mr. Underwood, the bitter writer for the Maycomb Tribune didn’t think so. “Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” And Tom was as much of a cripple as Mr. Mendo was an English teacher, which proves that his murder was inappropriate and unconstitutional in every way. He was a mockingbird character because his innocence, in the backwards town of Maycomb, made him guilty, and his death was as equally as unjust as the sinful killing of mockingbirds.

Finally, a well-respected man in Maycomb who actually did a fantastic job in the defense of Tom Robinson was the lawful lawyer, Atticus Finch. Atticus was a great scholar who never took pride in his talents, learned that you never know what someone is like until you crawl into their skin, and also minded his own business. These qualities helped raise Scout and Jem to be respectful towards everybody and appreciative of other’s cultural and erotic ways. The Finch family are considered mockingbird characters because they never did anything wrong. And if you take a closer glimpse at Atticus, all he ever did was try and help others, including Tom Robinson which was enough for the town of Maycomb to appreciate all the things he has ever done. Atticus defending a black man was the first step into a new world where colored and colorless people would live in a color blind community almost like the one Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream about. “…I waited and as I waited I thought, Atticus Finch won’t win. He can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we’re making a step- it’s just a baby step, but it’s a step.” That was Miss Maudie finally clicking the information together. She knew Atticus could never win a case with a black man against a white woman, but he could get the people of Maycomb to reconsider their prejudice thoughts and eventually learn that every human being was created with basic rights which include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Jem and Scout are also mockingbird figures because they are sweet little young angels who are still considered children. Being attacked like that from Bob Ewell should have never happened because they didn’t do anything wrong. And, in my opinion, Bob deserved to die he actually did do something wrong, but Bob carrying a different conscious then everyone else thought it was a great idea to kill Atticus’s kids as a way of saying,” gotcha!” That sense of style is out dated in Maycomb; even Arthur Radley knew that, which is why he stood up for the Finch’s, displaying mockingbird traits.

In conclusion, the title of the book relates to the central theme of the story which is “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” There are a handful of characters considered to be mockingbird figures, featuring Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch. These static characters help make the world continue to go around in a peaceful way; Atticus with his solid behavior, Tom with his manners, and Boo with his heroic actions. And remember, “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”