In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the story takes place in a small, rural place in the heart of Alabama known as Maycomb County during the 1900’s. Many of the people who live in this town are innocent and pure who don’t have any intention of harming fellow residents. But some are more cruel than innocent, they don’t care if their actions harm those that are innocent. They take advantage of race and special privileges they’ve acquired to bring forth the destruction of the innocence that others possess. This destroying of innocence is the reason the book is entitled To Kill a Mockingbird. Mockingbirds symbolize innocence and purity, and when one destroys one's innocence, it’s considered “killing a Mockingbird”. The three characters …show more content…
During a court case that involves a falsely accused African-American rapist, he does everything in his power to keep the defendant from facing jail time or possibly even the death sentence. What makes Atticus different from many people in that time period is that he doesn’t have any prejudice toward not just African-Americans, but everybody. He treats every everyone with the same respect that they deserve. While in court, Atticus describes to the jury that just because of one’s race, doesn’t mean that they lie more than another by stating “You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women-black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire” (Lee 273), which shows how he treats everybody and every race with the same respect. Along with that, he tells his son that “Nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything... Trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves” (Lee 144), and when he’s asked by his son if he is a “Nigger-lover” he responds by saying “I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody” (Lee 144), which are other prime …show more content…
Tom represents a Mockingbird through his benevolence and willingness to help others. His generosity is shown when he’s walking home from work and he repeatedly stops and help Mayella Ewell with household work and chores. While Tom Robinson is in court being falsely tried for rape, he was asked if when he stopped to help Mayella, if he received money for what he had done to help her, which he responded with “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel for the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help none and neither did the chillun, and I knowed she didn’t have no nickels to spare” (Lee 195). During the court case, when Atticus describes Tom to the jury, he says that Tom is “a quiet, respectable, humble, Negro who had the unmitigated temerity to ‘feel sorry’ for a white woman who had to put his word against two white people’s” (Lee 273). This shows that Tom is benevolent and how he has the generosity to help other people with only receiving the gratification of helping others in
Everyday, people of all ages lose their innocence and develop morally through their daily experiences. Children deal with mishaps on the playground, conflicts with friends and family, and trouble in school. Similarly, Adults deal with conflicts within their own families, problems at work, and the loss of a loved one. In each situation, the person is learning important lessons that impact the way a person thinks, acts, approaches situations, and treats others. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem loses his innocence and grows morally through his daily experiences in three stages of understanding in Maycomb, Alabama.
The outcome of a trial between a white and a black person will always favor towards the white. No matter what logic and reason the black person pulls, he will always lose the trial. During a trial, a decision should be made base on laws. However, Atticus has come to the realization that judgements are made by the color of one’s skin as oppose to the law.
Tom Robinson goes out of his way to help Mayella with chores around her house since no one else wanted to help her. Tom Robinson is like a mockingbird because he just wants to help Mayella and wants to take nothing in return but knowing that he was there to help someone when they needed
Harper Lee’s most iconic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a story of prejudice and racism. The novel takes place in the depression stricken town of Maycomb County and follows a girl named Scout as she learns and experiences the good and evil taking place in her community. As suggested by the title, the mockingbird plays an important role in the book as it represents innocence and the slaying of one represent the loss of innocence. The symbolic mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird are Boo Radley, Jem and Tom Robinson.
The Mockingbird carries a large amount of symbolism, as it represents the idea of innocence. If a Mockingbird is killed, it symbolises the killing of innocence, so the deaths of specific characters in this book, could be described as the death of a Mockingbird. Characters including Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem, are all examples of Mockingbirds, as they are characters of innocence, yet are accused of, or experience things that kill their innocence.
“Gentlemen, a court is no better than each of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury only as sound as the men that make up of it.” (274) Atticus uses their emotions when he is explaining this to them, he is showing that they make the decision and are very important, which is turn starts to change their mind a little. “She was white, and she tempted a Negro.
Atticus teaches his children to not discriminate and to treat everyone politely which proves him to be a good parent. Along with Atticus’confession towards racist white men, he also shows more compassion. After what seems to be a rigged final decision about the Tom Robinson case, Atticus opens up about his opinion on the treatment of colored people in the courtroom. Going against the social norms at the time, Atticus communicates honestly to his children that "The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow” meaning that people should stop taking grudges to the courtroom and make the honest and ethical decision (Lee 252). Atticus is telling his children that taking hatred to the court is unlawful and prejudice.
In the book to kill a mockingbird the author Harper lee uses conflict to express the idea that a child's curiosity can cost them to lose their innocence when they are confronted with racist life issues.
Imagine being a young child and wanting to go on adventures with a sibling or close friend. Maturity is when a person grows up and becomes less naive. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a few characters are naive at the beginning of the text and slowly mature throughout the novel. They all want to be adventurous with each other but, knowing the consequences gets in the way of them actually going on the adventures towards the end of the novel. Jem, Scout, and Dill especially mature throughout the novel because they are children who learn new lessons during different situations.
No one stays a child forever; eventually, everyone will grow up. It is the process and the way of finding yourself in the real world that makes everyone’s story different. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee, clearly emphasizes how important the transition into adulthood is. The world can be a scary place for an innocent child who does not yet see it with maturity. The loss of this innocence is known to be sinful in the eyes of the residents of Maycomb, Alabama, where the ugliest problems, such as racism, are an everyday occurance.
" This shows that racists use "nigger-lover" to suggest that a person is trying to give African-Americans special rights, but Atticus points out that all he's arguing for is equality, loving everybody the same. The end of the quote is basically
The Mockingbird has a very deep and powerful meaning in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird. It represents peacefulness, innocence and kindness which is portrayed through the characters of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The mockingbird's influence can also be applied to the relationships between humans. The Mockingbird is a powerful symbol that echoes a strong meaning throughout the novel.
The fascinating story To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in a sleepy, southern county of Maycomb in the 1930s. Although this town has a variety of pleasant and honorable citizens who have set morals, there are also people who live in Maycomb County who are unfair, possibly evil, and lack morals.
Tom Robinson is a mockingbird because he was innocent of the crime that Mayella said he committed. During Tom Robinson's testimony he said, “ …. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more than the rest of em- …” (page 197) This showed us Tom's character , he simply wanted to help her out of the own kindness of his heart. The local journalist reflected on Tom’s death written in his editorial by referring to it as the, “Senseless slaughter of songbirds...Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson ,but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom
The Mockingbird is a symbol of innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird: “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.” (Lee 90). Ms. Maudie is trying to explain to the kids that it is a sin to kill something innocent. The Mockingbird does nothing harmful to them they just sing songs to the humans . There are many connecting symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird. Not only do many things in the book such as mockingbirds there are things in the book that represent these symbols. A mockingbird is innocent, keeps to itself, makes others happy much like Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Scout Finch throughout the novel.