Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Tom Robinson’s character exemplifies the mockingbird because he is a black man who is denied justice based on racial prejudice. After Mayella Ewell accuses Tom of rape, there is no way for him to be judged fairly because the narrow-minded, white townspeople are unable to get past their prejudices towards blacks. At his trial, Tom’s lawyer, Atticus, argues,

Mockingbirds do not do anything but to make music for everyone to enjoy. In a society where people tend to discriminate another; mockingbirds represent the innocent ones who are being victimizes upon. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, emphasizes the fact that lives are not always equal and also to remind people that it is a sin to accuse someone of a crime based on personal opinion. Everyone likes to gossip, and everyone likes to spread rumors for their own entertainment. For this reason, the town of Maycomb insists to degrade Atticus Finch because he chooses to defend Tom Robinson, an African American worker. Atticus symbolizes a mockingbird in multiple ways, including taking the blame for teaching his child, being a disgrace when trying to defend Tom, having difficulties, discipline Scout and Jem, and constantly

There is a very powerful symbol that carries much weight throughout the story, and that is the mockingbird, seen even in the title of the book itself. This symbol initiates its appearance in chapter 10 of “To Kill a Mockingbird” on page 103 where Atticus Finch, a character synonymous with making impactful, deep statements through the book, says, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee, 10). This is supplemented by Mrs. Maudie soon after where she says, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... ” (Lee 10). This evidence explains the basis of this symbol, that killing innocence is sinful, pointless, and cruel and that from the beginning this symbol presence causes massive insight and deeper connections throughout the whole book and to history itself (Great Depression/Pre-Civil Rights Movement), especially through the motif of innocence. Its presence is

The idea of mockingbirds in this text carries great symbolic weight, mockingbirds are considered the innocents in the novel. It is considered a sin to kill a mockingbird, which symbolizes the destruction innocence. Tom Robinson, Arthur “Boo” Radley, Jem and Mr. Raymond can all be identified as mockingbirds - innocents who have been injured or destroyed through contact with evil.

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.

Tom Robinson is another mockingbird figure. He was a genuinely caring person who is destroyed by his willingness to help Mayella Ewell. Just like a mockingbird, Robinson never hurt anyone. Yet, he was also persecuted by society for his kindness and his race. Tom Robinson was killed because of his kindness and the color of his skin; “ a harmless songbird that was shot down by a senseless hunter.” Lee uses the character of Tom as a mockingbird figure to express the innocence of the mockingbird and exhibit the narrow-mindedness and biased opinions of the towns folk.

Firstly, Tom is an innocent man that does no harm to society but unfortunately people don’t think so, he’s announced to be a guilty man. Just like people who kill innocent songbirds for enjoyment, people kill innocent living things without them noticing that they’re doing the same to black men “Atticus- "...I’m simply defending a Ne_ gro—his name’s Tom Robinson. He lives in that little settlement beyond the town dump. He’s a member of Calpurnia’s church, and Cal knows his family well. She says they’re clean-living folks. Scout, you aren’t old enough to understand some things yet, but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man. It’s a peculiar case...." (Pg.77). This quote is mentioned when Atticus is having a conversation with his daughter Scout and tells her that Tom is innocent and not Guilty. Tom Robinson has a good reputation with his black people, he’s an honest, helpful, religious man that means no harm to anyone and so this is why Atticus is on Tom’s side and wants his children to know that and to metaphorically and literally not shoot or kill mockingbirds. Another difference to the mockingbird symbol is that The Ewells are blue jays because they are nowhere near model citizens "Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day's work in his recollection. He said that some Christmas, when he was getting rid of the

In the nineteenth century, mockingbirds were kept in cages so they could sing their beautiful music. Because of this, mockingbirds were nearly almost wiped out of parts of the East Coast. All Mockingbirds do is bring beauty to the world. Mockingbirds symbolize innocence and do not deserve to be wounded by the cruelness of the world. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Dill, Mayella Ewell, Mr. Dolphus Raymond, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are all mockingbirds. They are innocent people that have been harmed or injured in the past and have learned the misery of the world.

Throughout the majority of the book, Lee uses a motif related to a mockingbird. This symbolizes how hunting harmless and innocent beings is senseless and the worst crime one can commit against humanity. Mockingbirds are harmless animals who do nothing but bring joy to people with

On the other hand, Tom Robinson could also be the symbolic “mockingbird”. For instance, while examining Toms behavior, Scout realizes that, “Tom Robinson 's manners were as good as Atticus 's.” and say’s, “Until my father explained it to me later, I did not understand the subtlety of Tom 's predicament: he would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long, so he took the first opportunity to run” (Lee 197) This belief indicates that Tom is a very polite gentleman who is innocent. Being a man of color, he ran that night as self defence, not because he did something wrong. He did not want to hurt Mayella, as the gentleman he is, but in such circumstances he was forced to do so. Therefore, during the trial, he does not claim that mayella is a liar, instead he says, “I say she’s mistaken in her mind”. (Lee 167) He is a gentleman and an innocent man who doesn 't mean any harm. Also, while explaining about Tom’s death, ‘They shot him,’ said Atticus. ‘He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them...”(Lee

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, mockingbirds are a bird that has a remarkable ability to “exact imitations of the notes of other birds”. In addition, they are known to have up to 200 songs in their “playlists’, which they will sing all through the day and evening, usually when there is a full moon. Based on this description, mockingbirds are innocent, beautiful birds that can bring a sense of calmness to people around them with their smooth melodies. Therefore, they are a creature that brings no harm to others, just joy. Like the mockingbird, today’s society consists of many innocent people around the world who are hardworking and treats others with respect no matter of their socio economic status; as well as, race and religion. On the other hand, there are some people in our world who judge others based on their evil beliefs they learned from others instead of listening to their conscience.

When Tom Robinson was in the courtroom for trial, he was prejudiced for his background. Prejudice is shown against Tom, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s the white man always wins” (Lee, 295). Prejudice is shown with Tom Robinson against Bob Ewell in the courtroom because his skin color is black. Tom Robinson is symbolic for mockingbird because he has the quality of empathy for helping out others. Tom Robinson helped Mayella by, “He tried to help her… did all this for not one penny… I felt sorry for her she seemed to try more’n the rest of em” (Lee, 264).

To Kill a Mockingbird is a book with several examples of symbolism. Although the story is seen through a child’s perspective, it includes multiple instances of symbolism, some more obvious than others. Mockingbirds, Mayella’s geraniums, and the Radley household are all big symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird.

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”

Mockingbirds Everyone has a song, just like a mockingbird. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird shows how every character has their own song, as of a mockingbird or a unique song. The characters such as scout shows how they have developed throughout the book, chapter by chapter while at the same time the mockingbirds are singing their unique songs. But scout isn't who we are focusing on, for these songs. The three characters in the novel that have their unique songs just like a mockingbird are, Arthur “Boo” Radley, Jem Finch, and Calpurnia.