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A Mockingbird Is A Harmless Thing That Makes The World A Better Place?

Decent Essays

A mockingbird is a harmless thing that makes the world a better place. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the mockingbird is Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, who are both pleasant peaceful people who would never do any harm. To kill a or bring harm to them would be a sin. Scouts father Atticus tells his children, “I’d rather you shoot tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (p.69)
These two characters are symbolized by the mockingbird because it does not have its own song. Whereas the other birds like the blue jay have loud songs. The mockingbird only sings other birds’ songs. The people of Maycomb knew Tom and Boo by only what others had said about them. They both do not really have a song in a sense, and therefore they are characterized by others perceptions about them.
Boo lived his entire life never wanting to hurt a fly. He left things for Gem and Scout through the book. He mended Jem’s pants and left them on the fence so he could escape from his father. He also saved Jem and Scout’s lives by defending them in the fight. Boo was a gentle and fragile person. Throughout the novel Jem, Scout, and Dill are curious about the mysterious Boo Radley because no one has ever seen him outside from his house. The children are afraid of him because of what everyone says. An example of this would be Miss Stephanie tells them that Boo was cutting a magazine, he

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