What does a mockingbird symbolize? A mockingbird symbolizes the idea of innocence. Throughout the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee, the idea of innocence is prevalent. THe title, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ reveals the statement of killing the innocence of its characters. Characters who most exemplify a mockingbird are Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Jem. Overall, these three show signs of symbolism of the mockingbird the most.
Boo Radley is a great example of a character who exemplifies the symbol of a mockingbird. Boo Radley is the reclusive neighbor of the protagonist of the story, FInch. A mockingbird is a harmless and innocent individual who would never harm anything. Even a fly. Like a mockingbird, Boo Radley is an innocent
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Tom is a black man who is unfortunate enough to get accused of raping a white woman, becoming the target of the towns prejudice and racism. He symbolizes the mockingbird through and through from how innocent and vulnerable he is. Tom is first introduced as a hardworking and humble man who is respected by the community. He is known for helping others. When accused, Tom was unable to help himself. Even though “He’s never hurt a [white] soul, he’s never bothered a [white] person in his life, he’s as good as dead already, [..]” (Lee 9). This quote proves the injustice towards Tom. He, like a mockingbird, is an easy target for ‘hunters’. Throughout the trial, Tom maintains his innocence and his honest testimony reveals the true nature of the crime. “He ain't ever hurt us, Atticus,” (Lee 266). This quote, by Jem, explains that Tom never harmed them and highlights the false accusation from Mayella. Giving more depth and evidence towards Tom’s innocence. However, even with his overwhelming amount of evidence, Tom is found guilty. The injustice of his conviction highlights the racism and prejudice against him, an innocent coloured man. Like a mockingbird, Tom’s innocence is shown through the novel. However, like the title, the prejudice and highlighted racism ‘killed the …show more content…
Jem is the older brother of the protagonist, Scout, and throughout the novel, he undergoes a significant transformation from childhood innocence to understanding the harsh realities of the world. In the beginning of the novel, he is shown as a curious and adventurous young boy who is still learning about the world. Jem’s innocence is emphasized through his unwavering belief in the justice system and fairness. He believed the legal system would always do what's right, showing us the innocent and naive side of him. “Jem was born a hero.” (Lee 241). Heroes in stories, like Jem, strongly believe in justice. They are pure in heart and have an unwavering belief in fairness. Which is why this quote is comparing Jem to a hero. However, this ideology of fairness and justice soon turns around when Tom Robinson is falsely accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit. Like that, the innocent and naive boy was no more. Like the title of the story, a mockingbird was killed. His innocence lost and the truth of how the world works in front of his face, Jem became devastated. His character highlights the importance of empathy and understanding . Throughout his interactions with Boo Radley, Jem learns to see beyond rumors. He comes to learn that behind every rumor is false accusations. That those who carry the rumors can be complete opposites. "Atticus was right. One time he said you never really
The first character that symbolizes the mockingbird is Tom Robinson. Throughout the book he has proven his innocence and kindness from the trial. The quote that reveals this is when Tom Robinson was in court when he was telling everyone how he would never take advantage of Mayella inappropriately when Mr. Link Deas decided to share his opinion of how Tom acts.
As said by Atticus,” I don’t know but they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep.” (213). Because Tom is judged guilty Atticus believes that the justice system is sometimes unfair and unethical, to colored people and it may continue that way for a long time.
To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both symbolized by a mockingbird. Boo Radley is the first character to symb Inolize a mockingbird. The first reason why Boo is a mockingbird is because he has done nothing wrong to hurt people, despite the rumors. The rumors said Boo stabbed his father with a pair of scissors, however, that is not true. Boo never stabbed anyone.
Jem was not happy about Tom losing his trial, he was the first one to cry about the loss and then sniffled, “It is not right Atticus.” Jem also grew in strength and bravery, this is shown when Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout, and Jem was willing to fight Bob in order to protect Scout from his knife. He is also not afraid to stand up for his family, and Tom when people are tearing them down. Jem develops from a stubborn, curious child to a mature, brave, and knowledgeable teen throughout the book, all because he made the right
Atticus is appointed a case by Judge Taylor to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Because of the racism and prejudice against black people, he believes that he will not win this case and could risk the life of Tom Robinson. Because of this case, Scout gets bullied by Francis about how his dad is defending a black man, Atticus later talks to Scout about how “[Tom Robinson] lives in [a] settlement behind the town dump….there’s been some high talk around the town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man” (Lee 86). Atticus knows that something bad can happen to him if he were to defend Tom Robinson but still does so because he has the courage to do it. After the trial had ended, Atticus was waiting for news but he did not expect something so terrible and heartbreaking, Tom Robinson, unfortunately, died after being shot several times.
The ‘mockingbird’ of the story symbolizes several different types of innocence through different characters. One of the ‘mockingbird’ innocence types is displayed by Tom Robinson. During the closing statements in the courtroom (232), Atticus states that “the defendant is not guilty, but someone in this courtroom is.” The quote shows that Tom’s ‘mockingbird’ innocence is the innocence of not being guilty.
Tom died because he lost hope and therefore tried to escape from prison but got shot seventeen times, as a result. In summary, Tom Robinson represents the mockingbird because he was failed by the justice
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird the author Harper Lee creates a strong theme showing how two of the main characters represent the innocence of a mockingbird. The two characters that are portrayed as sinners are accused of by men who are blinded by pride to the point where lives are taken. The virtue of Tom Robinson is displayed throughout the course of this story. For example, a witness from the audience at Tom Robinson’s trial speaks out and announces, “I just want the whole lot of you to know one thing right now.
Atticus takes on the case of Tom even though all odds are against him. Tom Robinson is a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. The people in the town are taking out their anger and frustration over the case on Atticus. During this time, the color of Tom's skin is what is making people think he was guilty. Atticus knows that he will get a case that will affect his home life eventually, and this case was it.
On one level, it refers to the actual act of harming innocent creatures. However, it also extends beyond the literal meaning, serving as a metaphor for the unjust persecution and destruction of innocence in society. Lee uses the mockingbird as a symbol for characters like Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of a crime, and Boo Radley, a recluse who is misunderstood and unjustly feared. Through this metaphor, the passage becomes a call to protect those who are vulnerable and marginalized, highlighting the importance of empathy and
Later, he was arrested and sadly killed after trying to escape out of prison. Unfortunately, this changes very little about how the people of Maycomb view him, therefore causing to reinforce the stereotypes about African Americans even more. However, Mr.Underwood renders Tom’s death to the senseless killing of a mockingbird “likened…”(323). Just like a mockingbird, he was an sweet,innocent person but he ends up losing his innocence when he was surrounded by the racial prejudice around him.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the term mockingbird symbolizes innocence in a person. In the novel it focuses on the fact that innocence, represented by the mockingbird, can be wrongfully harmed. There are two characters: Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley that are supposed to represent the mockingbird. In the novel, Tom Robinson is the best example of a mockingbird because he is prosecuted for a crime he did not commit. Also, he was judged unfairly based on the color of his skin in his trial.
C. In the end, Tom was not respected or treated right and as a result, he was killed or “shot like a mockingbird.” 1. Primary Evidence: Tom tried to escape from jail and a policeman decided instead of stopping him that he should just shoot Tom (Lee 235). 2.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem grows from a little boy to an intelligent young man. Throughout the book, he discerns many things that shape his personality. As Jem grows, he learns how bad society is and that not everyone is perfect. Fortunately for Jem, this ends up helping him and he finds out that Atticus is a hero and that he should look up to Atticus. Through Atticus and the trial, Jem loses his innocence by learning about prejudice, bravery, and that the justice system is crippled.
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.