“I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”(page 119) In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the mockingbird is one of the most symbolic objects in the novel. It represents the innocence of someone not affected by the evilness of society. In the novel, there are three people, or mockingbirds, that are innocent affected by society. The three mockingbirds are Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell, and Boo Radley.
One example of the symbol of the mockingbird is Tom Robinson. For example, when Tom said “Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-”(page 264). This shows
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For example when Mayella said “ Nineteen-and-a-half.”(page 240) The age that most people stop using half years is around six years old. This shows that while mayella may be nineteen her mind functions like that of a child. This is due mostly to the fact of her upbringing and her fear of her father.
Another example of why Mayella is a mockingbird is when the narrator said “ … as she took offense to routine courtesy. What on earth was her life like?” This further strengthens the fact that Mayella is a product of her environment. When Atticus uses Miss Mayella and Ma’am she gets upset because she thinks she’s being made fun of. This shows that Mayella has never been treated with any kind of respect or courtesy from her father.
The last mockingbird is Boo Radley. For example, when scout is coming home and sees something shiny, ”some tinfoil was sticking in a knot-hole just above my eye level, winking at me in the afternoon sun. I stood on tiptoe, hastily looked around once more, reached into the hole, and withdrew two pieces of chewing gum minus their outer wrappers.” (page 44) This shows that Tom is a mockingbird because he leaves the gifts for the kids. This also represents the mockingbird because the mockingbird leaves the gift of
Mockingbirds: Emblems of innocence in To Kill A Mockingbird There are many mockingbirds in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The image of mockingbirds represent many people in the story and how many people take advantage of them for their own benefits. Scout, a young girl who lives in Maycomb is the story’s protagonist. She lives with her brother and father and occasionally meets Calpurnia their cook. For instance, Tom Robinson and Calpurnia are treated differently because of their skin color, however they are very close to the Finch family.
I think that the mockingbirds represent two characters in the book, who are Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Tom Robinson is a man with a loving family who was convicted of raping a teenager. All the evidence points to him being innocent, yet he is still convicted and sent to jail. Then he ends up getting shot at for trying to escape. This is a good example of a mockingbird in the book, because Tom Robinson was an innocent man, yet
Therefore Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch all symbolize a mockingbird because they all show innocence in their own way, these characters display their innocence through kindness and the truth.
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird we examine many particular characters, all in which portray a variety of attributes and personalities that are incredibly interesting. Some stick to a pricklier demeanor, while others prefer to stay soft-hearted. In this case we’re looking at the innocent side of Maycomb County, and who specifically flutters around without sin. The mockingbird is Tom Robinson.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young girl by the name of Jean Finch and her brother Jeremy Finch go through events that teach them multiple different life lessons like changing their perspectives to other peoples before judging them. This ties in the meaning of the mockingbird which represents innocence because it causes no harm to anyone; to judge or to harm it proves that one does not understand its perspective. In the novel, Harper Lee brings up many times where the representation of a mockingbird appears. There is one direct time when their father, Atticus, asks the kids not to shoot any mockingbirds and Ms. Maudie tells Scout “Your father’s right. Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.
“Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird,’’ This is a famous quote from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. In the book a Mockingbird is a sign of innocence and is the symbol for several characters. Including: Tom Robinson, Scout, Jem, Dill, and other characters. Harper Lee shows that the innocent doesn’t always get what they deserve, and they sometimes lose their innocence, but other times it can help them out in risky situations.
Mayella's father yelled through the window “i'm gonna kill you¨, Tom ran out the house and Bob ewell made mayella turn the story on tom in court and say he beat and raped her. In court tom said “she kind of jumped on me, then kissed me¨, This shows that tom is a mockingbird because he is lied on and accused of raping mayella, shot 17 times all because mayella's father made her lie to keep him out of trouble. Another mockingbird harper lee uses is Atticus finch. Atticus is a lawyer who has two kids named scout and jem.
The webster dictionary defines a mockingbird as a songbird noted for its mimicry of calls. In the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Harper Lee uses the Mockingbird as a symbol of many different things. One may see the mockingbird as a sign of innocence or damaged. Depending on how you portray certain characters and events the symbol will differ.
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. ”(Lee, 119) Miss Maudie says this towards the middle of the book, when she and Atticus are talking to Scout about killing mockingbirds. This is how mockingbirds are represented in the book To Kill A Mockingbird.
Mayella lacks power due to her gender and is not heard at times because of her gender. This is showed when Atticus says “I doubt if we’d ever get a complete case tried—the ladies's be interrupting to ask questions”(Chapter 22). Women were looked at as less than the men and were not listened to at times. Being a woman was not the easiest task back in the 30’s. Another example of a lack of power because of gender is when Atticus says "For one thing, Miss Maudie can't serve on a jury because she's a woman-"(Chapter 22).
Mayella was not favored by the people in Maycomb. She was extremely poor and never spoke on any harassment she suffered from her father. Tom Robinson attempts to get the truth out in the open when he is giving his testimony, “She said what her papa do to her don’t count” (Doc B). Mayella doesn’t fully understand that her father is physically abusive towards her. To her it’s just love.
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."
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a Mockingbird is used to symbolize other characters in the novel. While there are connections to a few characters in the novel, Tom Robinson stands out by his traits. Additionally his circumstances help to draw even more connections to the mockingbird. This idea may have another meaning beyond just a bird. The mockingbird’s presence in the story portrays similar traits as Tom Robinson, communicating how your treatment of others around you should always be thoughtful and considerate, as anything less could be sinful.
Another situation where it shows evidence of this mockingbird metaphor is when Boo Radley is giving the kids gifts and fixes Jem’s jeans that he leaves behind during the process of the Boo Radley game. He is actually helping out and being nice but is still being bullied. These all show symptoms of a mockingbird being
Mockingbirds are an important symbol because they represent goodness and innocence. In this book, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are two innocent men, similar to mockingbirds, who get taken advantage of due to their innocence. Atticus and Miss Maudie teach Scout and Jem that it’s a sin to harm anything innocent by using the example of mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are innocent because they only positively affect people through their singing.