Authors use symbolism in their novels to get across a message in an entertaining way. Harper lee, in To Kill a Mockingbird, uses the ordinary, everyday mockingbird to symbolise innocence. By the end of the novel, both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley become mockingbird symbols.
A mockingbird literally is a good bird. Mockingbirds are considered a good animal because they do not disturb or annoy anyone. They just mind their own business and are harmless. “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 its a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee, 1960, P.119). This quote further explains the innocence of a mockingbird, and how they do not want to cause any harm. There were two characters who helped the symbolism and one of them is Tom Robinson. …show more content…
He is because Tom Robinson shares many qualities of a mocking bird. Tom is a good man who is helpful and peaceful. One day Tom helped a girl who asked for help. Then he got falsely convicted of rape. He would not have been convicted of this crime if he was not black, and because Tom was black, even his lawyer Atticus Finch knew that he would lose the case. “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for” (Lee, 1960, p.232). This quote is an example of how the judge and public viewed blacks. They only focused and made up things about blacks that were not positive. They did not listen to how the color of someone’s skin does not make someone’s decisions. Therefore, Tom had no chance of winning. If people did not assume that Tom was a rapist just because he was black, he would have won the trial. This shows how Tom was innocent, just like the mockingbird. The other character who also symbolises the mockingbird is Boo