Boo Radley and Tom Robinson a very similar to each other, even though 1 is black and the other is white. Lee compares these two characters and proves that justice and compassion can overcome color and prejudice. The title of the book is a metaphor for both characters, they are both mockingbirds, but one mockingbird is shot and the other one is forced to kill. Boo and Tom are both handicapped and the author of this book hints around to make it seem that he is physically unhealthy. The author also makes a statement that the reader can assume that he is also mentally disabled when they read it. No character in the book, nor the author says anything about his disability. The reader can now wonder if Boo’s family protects his handicap or makes it
Tom Robinson is wrongfully convicted of rape and eventually killed in prison, whereas Boo Radley is killed emotionally because he is not accepted by society. Since it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a sin to kill innocent souls like Tom and Boo. When Scout tries to understand why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, Miss Maudie elucidates Atticus’s opinion more clearly by stating, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy...They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103). Mockingbirds sing and make beautiful music; however they mimic the songs of other birds, so they are seen through others. Tom and Boo are like mockingbirds because they are subject to the perceptions of the people of Maycomb. The townspeople knew these characters based on what others said about them. Consequently, Tom and Boo do not have their own “song” and are portrayed by others’ views of them. The mockingbird emerges as a metaphor for the wrong in harming innocent and defenseless people.
References to the title in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird suggest that both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are “mockingbirds.” The reader is lead to understand that the term suggests an innocent, harmless creature who should not be made to suffer. To Kill a Mockingbird is a sin. This book shows Tom Robinson and Boo Radley as mockingbirds. Boo Radley was the victim of harsh parenting and prejudgement. Tom Robinson was the victim of racism.
So he is innocent, and again being the symbolic mockingbird. As a result, Boo Radley could be the symbolic “mockingbird” through the interaction and actions of the characters.
The innocence of Boo Radley, along with the misunderstanding from the kids, alludes to Tom Robinson’s innocence. Although, the “kids”, with reference to the townspeople and jury members, misunderstand the truth about Tom Robinson and persecute him anyway: “‘Son,’ he said to Jem, ‘I’m going to tell you something and tell you this one time: stop tormenting that man’” (65). In this scene, Jem, Dill, and Scout act out what they know about Boo Radley’s life, and Atticus catches and scolds them.Though what makes this scene important is that the only things they really know about Boo’s life have been rumors, rather than proven stories.This is the same for the jury deliberating over Tom Robinson’s case. They have only heard information through Mr. Ewell, an unreliable source.Ass Tom Robinson tries explaining his side, the court does not believe him because he is black. Their years of segregation between the white and black community result
He is referred to as a mockingbird because he suffers he is stuck and constantly talked negatively by the town.It's the only form of contact he has with the outside world. Boo (Arthur Radley) is actually a very shy character who is often misjudged by society including scout and jem. As the story goes on, we find Scout beginning to realize Boo radelys true intentions and the situation when she tells Atticus that exposing Boo would be "sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?” Throughout the novel, Scout, Jem, and Dill are curious about the "mysterious" Boo Radley because he never comes outside from his house or associates with anyone in the neighborhood.
There’s been a lot of escapade going on these past three years with Tom Robinson’s case and Bob Ewell. You have learned to deal with others criticizing you because of me, but you’ve also learned to look at the world in someone else’s shoes. You’ve experienced injustice and prejudice from the case of Tom Robinson. You both have matured greatly, although this wasn’t the way I hoped you would. Being surrounded by people who make fun of you because I’m defending a negro was hard to adjust to, but you both learned to keep your fumes out and be a lady and gentleman. Unfortunately, not everyone is a true lady or gentleman.
When Harper Lee expresses her message of courage, she demonstrated courage through the selflessness of two characters by emphasizing their morality. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley symbolize mockingbirds in the sense that they are innocent but still courageous. Once Atticus the father and main character said “ I’d rather you shoot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want but remember It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”(Lee 119.) Mockingbirds symbolize Innocence, Lee is displaying that Tom and Boo are the mockingbirds in this novel. When Boo puts the gifts in the tree for the kids, that showed his Innocence, then when he left his house and saved the kids that showed his courage. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, two Innocent men that no one trusts, portrays
“But they also heard rumors that Boo Radley only comes out at night not during the day.” Scout and Jem start thinking that Boo Radley is a scary man or he is evil. The first time that Scout and Jem saw Boo Radley face, was when he saved them from Bob Ewell. Ever since Boo Radley saved them Jem and Scout stop believing all the rumors they heard about Boo Radley. Boo Radley can be compared to a mocking bird because mockingbirds are calm and don’t hurt others. That’s why Boo Radley is considered a mockingbird because he never hurt any known or bothered any known. The sad part was that Boo Radley was killed by couple of town’s people because he never came out because he was shy. (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081010185527AAZEssX)
However, Tom Robinson is not the only mockingbird in the story. Boo Radley is another harmless creature who falls victim of cruelty. He is unjustly regarded as an evil person and used as the scapegoat for all the bad happenings around town. Women are afraid of him and so are children. When the sheriff decided that he would not arrest Boo Radley for killing Bob Ewell and that would present his death as an accident, Atticus asked Scout if she understood the meaning of this decision. Scout replied that she did. Her exact words were: "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" (282). Boo here is also compared to the gentle bird and again it would be a 'sin' to punish him. The symbol of the mockingbird can be applied to Boo Radley from another point of view as well. The mockingbird has no song of its own. It just imitates other birds. Therefore it makes itself present and is seen through other birds. In the same way, Boo Radley is seen through the eyes of other people. He does not have a character of his own. What the reader knows about him is what other people say. He is believed to " dine on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, his hands were
Much like the story, the title is not representative of the plot of the story, and it is completely independent to what does happen. Tom, Boo Radley and the children seem to be represented by the mockingbird. Both are innocent, though the kids show this through their naiveté, learning of the evil in the world. Likewise, Tom, a wrongfully convicted man, and Boo Radley, a recluse, both have their share of injustices, despite their innocence. To conclude, the novel To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel written effectively to convey the author’s intended message, while depicting a cohesive
Comparing Tom Robinson and Boo radley To start off… the biggest difference between them is their skin color. Tom Robinson is black so how he is treated and how he sees everything is totally different than Boo Radley who is white. But just because one is black and one is white does not mean that they do not have anything in common. They are in the 1930s so times are a lot different than they are now. And they are in the south so that does not make things any better, especially for blacks like Tom.
In To Kill a Mockingbird the two people who have to relate to the title of the story most are Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. The title of the story relates to those two characters a lot because a Mockingbird is very sweet and innocent. The character Tom Robinson is a black character in the Book, he is very very nice to everybody, but people accused him of rape and also people are racist to him. And also, Boo Radley, he is a very nice person who just stays in his house and never bothers anyone, but everybody in their town makes up stories about him that aren't true and shut him away from everyone. So no one talks to him or anything because they think he is bad, but he is a very nice person.
did not allow anyone to visit him or have the slightest contact with him. Eventually Boo's mental state triggers him to stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. Boo's fathers causes Boo to suffer innocently by stealing his childhood experiences away from him. This indicates that Boo is a mockingbird because he did very little to deserve this torment and isolation that his father inflicted upon him. Then, Jem and Scout from the beginning of the story never fully understood Boo's past life at all, yet they judged him on things they hear about. They suspect he was basically an evil monster that never comes out of his house. Scout starts the stereotyping by creating a nickname “Boo” for the innocent Arthur Radley. This nickname robs Arthur of his true name and identity, causing him to suffer. Furthermore, Jem and Scout constantly pester Boo in an attempt to discover his actual identity. They tell their best friend Dill that Boo is like a zombie. Jem describes Boo as being: “About six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cat he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained-if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he and he drooled most of the time” (Lee 13). The stereotypical image created by Jem completely robs Boo
Essentially meaning that Boo perseveres his innocents by staying inside his home instead of living life around people who’ve made humanity so horrible. Tom Robinson, Dill, and Boo Radley share a common characteristic throughout To Kill a Mockingbird... their innocence, which is why they are the mockingbirds.
The title To Kill a Mockingbird is very significant to the novel as it portrays many forms of mockingbirds throughout it. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the true Mockingbirds of the story. They both are innocent from the accusations claimed upon them.