Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that is set in a fictional town Maycomb Alabama during the great depression. It follows the experiences of Scout and Jem. The novel is told from Scout's perspective and shows how they explore the theme of innocence throughout the novel. The main plot centers on the court trial of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. Scout's dad is Tom's defendant. Meanwhile, Tom has conflicts with the whole town. The trail shows how cruel people are in the South. Meanwhile, Scout, Jem, and Dill become fascinated with their antisocial neighbor Authur. They created games and made up stories about him. At the end of the trial, Tom Robinson is convicted, which ultimately ends up with violent …show more content…
“It's a sin to kill a mockingbird" is described as innocence since Scout and Jem were given air rifles. Atticus warms both of them and gives tells them that “he can shoot any blue jays he wants, but not to shoot a mockingbird because it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird, they don't do anything besides make music for us to enjoy. They don’t even nest in corncribs, They don’t do one but sing their hearts for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”. Atticus is trying to show that you should be kind and compassionate with others who are innocent and understand that it is harmful to harm them in any way. Throughout the novel, the air rifle is referred to as the symbol of the children growing up and understanding the world around them. It shows that it comes to the understanding that the power to harm others also carries a great responsibility to use that power wisely and with compassion. They also describe Tom Robinson as a mockingbird since he was falsely accused of rapping a white woman. He did nothing wrong and was killed just because of the color of his skin. He emphasizes this point by telling Jem and Scout it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird Making Tom Robinson refer to as a mockingbird. He emphasizes that killing a mockingbird comes to be a metaphor for harming …show more content…
During the trial, the children notice that it’s not based on justice and how it’s based on lies and injustice and demonstrating how the children lose their morals. At the end of the trial, the guy was never going to win because their society relies on racism. Jem says “ doesn’t make it right. You can’t convict a man on evidence like that”. This demonstrates that Jem knows that the conviction of Tom Robinson is prejudiced against black people. It also shows that Jem has grown to be more mature through that time frame which causes him to lose his innocence from the court case and most people of his community are against it. This describes that the world is always not fair and that their beliefs and values may be not shared with others, the trial was a turning point in their lives. as they began to understand the difficulties of the world and how “they need to fight for what is right and what they
After Tom Robinson’s trial Jem talks to scout about how "if there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?"(Lee 162). Jem realizes that not everyone is treated the same whether it be because of their skin, like Tom, or the way they act, like Boo Radley. He's learning that people are treated differently even though all men are created equally. Jem is coming of age and realizing the world is not the same as he had once seen.
When the jury is told to make their decision they all pick guilty. By doing this they make Scout and Jem realize how unfair and full of hate the world, destroying their
While Scout is less knowledgeable of the trial, she sees Jem and how “... his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between them,”(282). Jem is watching his father go against the beliefs of the majority of Maycomb, while trying to prove an innocent man free of his accused actions. Jem puts himself in Tom’s situation, fully able to comprehend the importance of the case. He takes the pain Tom Robinson must be experiencing into himself, knowing how this verdict is changing someone’s life forever. Jem’s mature knowledge and awareness makes him a compassionate person, which is what Atticus had always aspired for his son to be.
When Uncle Jack teaches Scout and Jem how to shoot an air rifle, Atticus tells the kids, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103).The point is that mockingbirds do nothing to harm society or the people that they interact with, so because they have no bad intentions they are effectively innocent. The author is trying to convey that mockingbirds are like people - everyone deserves to be treated the same unless they actually do something wrong like the bluejays. After hearing Atticus say “it's a sin to kill a mockingbird” Miss Maudie responds, “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 it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103).
According to Atticus, it is considered a sin to harm a mockingbird because “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.” By drawing a parallel between mockingbirds and vulnerable members of society, Atticus teaches his children the importance of embracing kindness and refraining from causing harm to those who pose no threat. Towards the conclusion of the novel, Scout demonstrates her understanding of the mockingbird metaphor when she reflects on the necessity of keeping Boo Radley's actions secret by comparing exposing Boo's deeds to “shooting a mockingbird”, thereby highlighting her ability to apply the metaphor to individuals in her own life. Scout's observation serves as evidence of her personal growth throughout the narrative, as she embraces the principles of empathy and ethical behaviour that Atticus
To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb Alabama during the Great Depression. All of the story is an allusion to the Scottsboro Trial where 9 black kids were wrongfully accused of rape only off of the word of a few white girls. The story centers around Atticus who is a lawyer, and his children Scout, and Jem. They are a poor white family who has it better off than most during the depression. Scout is the narrator and her brother Jem is the one whom she hangs out with most throughout the book.
Atticus is described as being different from the other fathers in Maycomb. He is considered different because he didn't have kids until later in life, he didn't work a special job, and he didn't want his children to use guns for the wrong purposes. When speaking to Jem about the latter, Atticus famously states, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (Lee 119). When put into the context of the mockingbird as a symbol of innocence, the phrase "to kill a mockingbird" can stand for "to kill one's innocence.
Later Scout asks Mrs. Maudie, the Finch's next-door neighbor, about what Atticus said and she explains, “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” (Lee 103). This means mockingbirds directly symbolize innocents, when Mrs. Maudie says they don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs she means they don't do anything wrong. So it would be a sin to kill something or someone that is innocent. Later in the book after Tom Robinson is found guilty even though Atticus proves his innocence beyond responsible doubt and it is shown to the courtroom that Bob Ewell is the true perpetrator.
Jem is in disbelief of how they could come to the verdict even after Atticus presented substantial evidence. He is very upset when he asks “How could they do it, how could they?” (Lee, 213) This quote shows that Jem feels sorry for Tom and is critical of the jury's discrimination. Jem exhibiting this behavior shows that he is now becoming aware of issues that someone his age might not think twice
Jem was mature enough to then start to create his independent values, which were complementary to Atticus’s and Harper Lee’s. During the case of Tom Robinson, Jem said, “Doesn’t make it right... You just can’t convict a man on evidence like that—you can’t” (224). Showing that he views this case based on fact, not opinion. After the verdict turned up guilty, Jem cried on the way home.
After Tom Robinson’s verdict was guilty, Jem started to throw a fit because he knew that everyone knew Tom was innocent but didn’t understand that white men basically always won in court. He realized with his age that everyone says people are equal but that’s false. Through Jem’s life lesson, he loses his innocence by him seeing the world for how it truly is and not a perfect as he thought it was when he was a kid. This loss of innocence shows coming of age as Jem is now aware of the world around.
After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.
This event shows Scout’s intolerance of people at the beginning of the novel. During Tom Robinson 's trial, Scout learns a great deal more about tolerance. She learns to accept the way other people live. As well, she learns about the intolerance that some other people have. Scout’s perception of tolerance throughout the novel changes her behavior.
The mockingbird in To Kill A Mockingbird is symbolic of innocence. Early in the novel, Atticus, the father tells the children Scout and Jem that it is a "sin to kill a mockingbird". Later Scout asks Miss Maudie what he meant by that because she has never heard her father say anything was a sin. Miss Maudie explains his reasoning by saying that all mockingbirds do is provide beautiful music. They do not harm anyone, they don't bother anyone, and they "sing their hearts out for us."
Scout and Jem have just received air guns from Atticus for Christmas, and they are learning what they’re not allowed to shoot at. Atticus tells them, “‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’. That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something” (119). This is the first time Scout hears Atticus say it is a sin to do something, which means that Atticus is being serious. We know that he hates shooting, because he has kept his skill as a marksman a secret, so when he tells the children they can try to shoot bluejays but not mockingbirds, he gives the idea that mockingbirds are special.