The essay analyzes the symbolism of the mockingbird in Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' highlighting characters like Boo Radley and Tom Robinson as representations of innocence destroyed by societal prejudices. It discusses Tom's wrongful conviction and the thematic elements of racial injustice, loss of innocence, and moral growth in the context of the story. Through the perspectives of Atticus Finch and the children, the narrative reveals the importance of empathy and understanding in combating prejudice.

1. Essay To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill A Mockingbird Timed Essay "It's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Throughout To Kill A
Mockingbird, there is symbolism behind the title. Mockingbirds are portrayed as harmless and
innocent which relates to several characters in the passage. Although there are many characters that
can convey this symbolism, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson best fit the metaphor because they are
the most misjudged characters throughout the novel, they have not shown or caused any harm to the
people of Maycomb. The title, To Kill A Mockingbird, has a connection with the overall main idea
of the plot. It carries a large amount of symbolism in the book. According to Miss Maudie,
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... they don't do one...show more
content...
Tom Robinson is an innocent man, convicted for the rape of Mayella Ewell for being colored.
Tom is not guilty of this crime but the jury was afraid to speak the truth since the society of
Maycomb believes a white man's word is stronger and contains more justice than a colored man's.
Tom Robinson has testified that he helped Mayella with her labor because of his generosity but
when Mayella Ewell forces herself on Tom, he chooses to run away and not physically harm the
Ewell's in any way which allows the Ewell's to use him as an escape during the court–case.
Therefore, once Tom is killed, the truth is revealed. In the novel, Mr. Underwood submits a section
about Tom Robinson's death in the paper. In the passage, it states "He likened Tom's death to the
senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters." Through this quote, Mr. Underwood is showing how
the Ewell's killed Tom's innocence to the community. It proved that although the jury knew the truth,
they decided to take the easy way out in order not to cause any conflict and offend the large
population of Maycomb, the whites. In the process, they killed a mockingbird, one that caused no
harm to anyone through his kindness and generosity, Tom Robinson. In summation, Boo Radley and
Tom Robinson both convey the metaphor of the mockingbird best. They are both mockingbirds that
lived without being affected by the rumors of Maycomb and the rules of
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2. Essay about To Kill A Mocking Bird
2. "What is the significance of the title of the novel"
"I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after the birds. Shoot all the
bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mocking bird." Atticus Finch
recites these lines to his two children, Jem and Scout after he gives them air–rifles for Christmas.
Scout is curious, as this is the first time that she has ever heard her father refer to anything as a sin,
Scout asks Miss Maude what Atticus meant by this. Miss Maude tells Scout that mocking birds
don't rip up people's garden's or annoy them in any way, all they do is play beautiful music for us to
listen to.
To Kill A Mocking Bird is set in a small town in South America called
...show more content...
At the end of the novel there is another symbol of the mocking bird, when Tom dies it shows the
pointless killing of a mocking bird. Atticus is determined to prove the innocence of Tom Robinson.
He slowly begins to build a very strong case that eventually comes to trial. Atticus proves that Tom
could not have raped and beaten Maybella Ewell. Atticus provides sufficient evidence to
demonstrate that two hands were needed to attack the lady. Curiously, Tom's left arm was injured
during a factory accident years earlier, and he was unable to move it.
Boo Radley is also another symbol of a mocking bird. He is portrayed as an evil mutant that lives
in the basement of his parent's home because he isn't fit to live in a normal society. Boo first is
linked with the mocking bird when Jem and Scout are on their way to the Halloween pageant and
are attack. Boo saves the children and helps Jem back to his house. The children begin to learn
that Boo is not the person that they had feared their entire lives, but an innocent man, who like the
mocking bird, persecuted by gossip and attitudes towards him. Boo Radley attempts friendship
with the children by leaving small presents such as; wooden dolls, twine and gum in a nest of a
tree. As the novel draws to a conclusion the children begin to realise that the only thing to do is to
leave Boo Radley alone.
To Kill a Mockingbird was an influential novel at the time it was written. However, it remains just
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3. To Kill a Mockingbird Essay
To Kill A Mockingbird Essay In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird a major theme is the loss of
innocence. Whether from emotional abuse, racial prejudice or learning, Boo, Tom, and Scout all
lose their innocence in one sense or another. The prejudice that each character endures leads to their
loss. Through the responses of Boo, Tom, and Scout, Harper Lee shows how each character
responded differently to their loss of innocence. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbirdthe character of
Boo Radley is the first to suffer the loss of his innocence. As a teen, Boo experienced trouble with
the law and for his consequences his father imprisoned him in his own house. Because of the harsh
consequences forced upon him by his father, Boo grew up without a...show more content...
With the racial tension so high during this time period, Tom's innocence was lost before he could
even defend himself. This was shown through Atticus's reply to Scout's question of, "Will we
win?" Atticus answered no because the case was lost before it began. Tom Robinson's response to
his loss of innocence was to simply run away from the problem that had befallen him. For his
attempted escape Tom suffered the highest consequence, "They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was
running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at
the fence and started climbing over" (235). Due to Tom's decision on how to respond, he was
killed even though he was placed in his position no thanks to himself. Tom Robinson chose poorly
when it came to his response towards his loss of innocence and it cost him his life. The main
character of the novel, Scout, was the only character that suffered a loss of innocence and
responded in a way that did not ruin her life. During the novel Scout gradually lost her innocence
due to the fact of her ever–increasing knowledge of the world. Being the child that she was, Scout
had a kind of blind faith in her community that it was as good and as moral as she believed it to be,
but she realized after the trial how wrong she was. Throughout the
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4. To Kill a Mocking Bird
The Defender "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 30). Atticus Finch says these words to
his daughter, Scout, after he elucidates to her why it is important to not be quick to judge a book
by its cover . In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mocking Bird, the main conflicts are centered around
prejudice. In the tiny town of Maycomb, everybody is set on tradition and there is no room for
oddity. Atticus Finch breaks down the walls that everybody else builds up about first and lasting
impressions, slowly but surely. Atticus Finch is a discreet example of practicing equality because he
espouses the outcasts of Maycomb. When Atticus sees...show more content...
However, the kids are not quick to accepting people most of the time. Without Atticus being there
to guide them along the path of righteousness, Jem and Scout would be just like any other kid in
Maycomb. When the kids are confused as to why Atticus was trying to do the ethical thing and
defend Tom, Miss Maudie has to explain to them that he was making "baby steps in the right
direction" (183). When Jem is still absent minded about the ordeal, Miss Maudie says, "I simply
want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs
for us. Your father's one of them.' 'Oh,' said Jem. 'Well.' 'Don't you oh well me, sir,' Miss Maudie
replied, recognizing Jem's fatalistic noises, 'you are not old enough to appreciate what I said'"
(183). The kids are impetuous to judge people, like Boo Radley, and Atticus has to stand up for
him against the children. Even if Scout and Jem do a good deed of exemplifying equality, they are
following by Atticus' admirable example since he is their father and they live under his influence.
Atticus Finch is a great example for everyone to practice equality and to not judge a book by its
cover. Although a father is normally on his child's side, Atticus lets Jem and Scout know that no
matter how the person acts or what they look like, they still need to treat them
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5. To kill A Mocking Bird report Essay
'To Kill A Mockingbird' Essay
What Do You Think About the Presentation of The Black Characters In To Kill A Mockingbird?
The presentation of the black characters in 'To kill a Mockingbird' is an important role of the text.
In 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Harper Lee shows the black community as an honest, kind group of
people, with very positive attitudes. Lula is the only black character in the novel with a negative
attitude, her attitude shows when she protests about Cal bringing Scout and Jem into the black's
church, 'You ain't got no business bringing, white chullin here' she snapped at Cal. It is as if Harper
Lee wants to make the reader aware of the injustice suffered by the black community and the
prejudice they endured.
At afternoon...show more content...
Tom on the other hand was so kind and generous that he soon became a 'scapegoat' for Mr Bob Ewel.
The black people are constantly being compared to the white people through the novel. You can tell
how the awfully the black people are treated by the whites through a number of examples, their
church being used for gambling by the white men during the week. This shows that as far as the
white men were concerned the black mans god was less of a god than their god. So they did not
fear him. This is shown by the way the white men gambled in the church. This can also be seen in
the appearance of the church 'It was an ancient, paint peeled frame building' the graveyard is also
run down 'graves in the cemetery were marked with crumbling tombstones, newer graves were
outlined with brightly coloured glass and broken cola bottles'. But despite this the place hadn't got a
cold or deserted feeling, 'It was a happy cemetery'.
In the trial all the evidence proved Tom was innocent 'Mr Ewel swore out a warrant, no dought
signing it with his left hand, and Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the
onley good hand he possess – his right hand'. (Tom Robinson cut all the muscles in his left arm with
farming machinery) Mayella was badly beaten down her left side so the culprit would have to have
hit her with his right hand, but Tom
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6. To Kill a Mocking Bird Essay example
Through the course of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem encounters a series of
events that cause him to grow up. During Tom Robinson's trial, Jem's eyes were opened to the
racism and prejudice of the South: loss of innocence, a major theme in the novel, is a realization of
the cruelty and injustice in the world, and that one must develop a tolerance for it. Jem is young and
carefree in the beginning of the novel. He is just starting to take on the responsibilities of an older
brother: "Jem condescended to take me to school the first day, a job usually done by one's parents,
but Atticus said Jem would be delighted to show me where my room was." (p.20). Atticus is trusting
Jem to safely get Scout to school, and help her...show more content...
In addition, Jem abandons all of his childish morals: "Jem looked the floor. Then he rose and broke
the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall. 'Atticus,' his voice
was distant, 'can you come here a minute, sir?'" (p.187–188). Dill, Jem and Scout's best friend, ran
away from his home and came to the Finch's house. Jem has broken "the remaining code of our
childhood" by telling Atticus about Dill, rather than keeping it a secret. He has matured past his
childhood years, and realizes that sometimes it is best to involve adults. Jem is exposed to the racism
and prejudice of the South through Tom Robinson's trial, and it makes him question what he never
thought twice about before. [insert lead–in] "'...if the jury's still out, you can wait with us. But I
expect it'll be over before you get back.' 'You think they'll acquit him that fast?' asked Jem. Atticus
opened his mouth to answer, but shut it and then left us." (p.277) Jem sees Tom Robinson's trial
through eyes untainted by prejudice and discrimination. To him, Tom is obviously innocent. Atticus,
on the other hand, is older and more cynical. He knows about racial discrimination, he knows it
strongly influences a person's judgement, and he knows Tom will be found guilty. Jem realizes this
when Tom Robinson is convicted. As a result, he learns that racism can cloud a person's judgement
to the point that they will convict an innocent man. Jem's loss of innocence
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