Arthur (Boo) Radley and Tom Robinson are both great examples of mockingbirds. Although, in my opinion, Tom Robinson acted more as a mockingbird than Boo did. Mr. Robinson was a twenty five year old Negro who was charged with a crime that he had nothing to do with. Mr. Ewell, a spiteful, cruel, evil man, wrongfully accused Tom of raping his daughter and because of the racism, Mr. Robinson was convicted and sent to prison. While in prison, he tried to escape, but got caught and shot to death. Mr. Robinson, much like a mockingbird, did no harm to anybody. In this story, Miss Maudie states that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they cause no harm. In my opinion, Tom’s situation strongly relates to what Miss Maudie said. It was a sin to
“Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird...mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. “ In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the title itself is symbolic. Atticus Finche tells his children that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are innocent, navie, and mind their own busniess to all, which is why it is a sin to kill them for no reason. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird is symobloized in four specific characters in the novel representing innocence of being a mockingbird.
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.
Can you stand the sight of innocent people getting hurt everyday? In wars, bomb blasts, or even in local or personal issues. They are innocent people who do nothing but help us or they just don 't bother us, just like a mockingbird.…………………………. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson could both be the symbolic “mockingbird”.
That quote is the most significant in the text because of how strong of a correlation it has with the material in the text. This quotes's impact on the content of the novel is that it brings about an overarching metaphor for the material of the novel. The mockingbird represents innocence, someone who helps others and brings about no harm to them. Both Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley, fall into that category as mockingbirds. Boo left Scout and Jem gifts such as gum and pennies inside the knot of a tree, gave Scout a blanket during the fire, mended Jem’s pants and left
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Racism is ever present toward blacks and the trial of Tom Robinson, an African American, clearly displays this. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman. The huge detail in this is that it was a white woman. Racial issues are really brought about because of that detail. People during this time would easily take a white man’s word over that of a black man, so nobody would ever trust Tom Robinson, especially since he was a black man being accused of a crime against a white woman. Tom Robinson really can’t do anything to help his case. The only person that can help him is Atticus. While Atticus does not believe that he will win the case, he knows that it is right to do everything he can to help Tom. He knows right from wrong and he will do everything in his power to help people see that, and to help Tom survive this case. Tom Robinson could also be described as a Mockingbird in this story. If proven innocent, he would be
According to the book, “Atticus said to Jem one day, ‘I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 119). Also in the book Tom, Boo, and Jem represents the mockingbird because it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird, so hurting or killing them would be a sin. In chapter 24 Aunt Alexandra tells Atticus that Tom is dead and she says “the guards called him to stop. They fired a few shots in the air, then to kill. They got him just as he went over the fence. They said if he’d had two good arms he’d have made it, he was moving that fast. Seventeen bullet holes in him” (Lee 315). In addition to Miss Maudie, she says “your father is right,” she said. “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 119). According to the book, Boo is represented as mockingbird for his kindness and offering for his friendship to Jem and Scout by putting all of those gifts in the tree. In conclusion, when Jem sits down to write Boo the letter, he says “we appreciate everything which you have put into the tree for us” (Lee
Two characters that are portrayed as the mockingbirds of this novel are Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. “Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children…” (323) Sadly, Maycomb is a town full of many people who are prejudiced against black people and their lively communities. Helping Mayella, who is an Ewell, with simple chores whenever he could, Tom Robinson was wrongly convicted of raping her, even though all the evidence pointed to her father beating her. The only reason he was proven guilty was because he was black. If the jury had been fair, Tom would have been set free. Everyone knew he was innocent. Apart from doing nothing wrong, Tom was helpful, hardworking, and always provided for his family, while having an more than happy attitude. He was just like a mockingbird, minding his own business and being polite to all, and it was a sin to kill him. “‘Atticus sat looking at the floor for a long time. Finally he raised his head. “Scout,” he said, ‘Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?’ Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed him with all my might. ‘Yes sir, I understand,’ I reassured him. ‘Mr. Tate was right.’ Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?’” (370) As the other human mockingbird in this book, Boo Radley
“Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” William Shakespeare knew what it meant to be destroyed by evil when all he wanted was to see good be done. Sins are one of the most natural things that human beings do. Some sins are symbolic by killing an innocent animal like a mockingbird. The killing of a mockingbird is a sin because mockingbirds sing songs that people love to listen to. They don’t cause any trouble but give people another joy in their lives. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, demonstrates how innocent people are destroyed by evil and corruption. There are three main characters in this novel that demonstrate what killing a mockingbird means. Those three are Atticus Finch, Arthur (Boo) Radley, and Tom Robinson. Atticus Finch, Arthur (Boo) Radley, and Tom Robinson are considered mockingbirds because as innocent as they were, they were shot out of the sky.
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
Mockingbirds are only here to sing their songs and to bring us joy. A Mockingbird is innocent, without fault and only here to help. “To kill a Mockingbird is a sin.”(119) This is because a Mockingbird is an animal that doesn’t cause harm and has proved to only have a pure heart. Tom Robinson is the predominant Mockingbird. “Tom’s death was like the senseless killing of songbirds.”(241) Since another word for mockingbird is a songbird, this quote is telling us that Tom is like a Mockingbird and that his death wasn’t supposed to happen. The unexpected Mockingbird is Boo Radley. “Atticus looked like he needed cheering up I ran to him and said ‘yes sir, I understand Mr. Tate was right’ he looked at me and said ‘what do you mean’ well it’d sort of be like shooting a Mockingbird.”(318) Clearly Scout is saying that if Maycome were to find out that Boo killed Bob it would probably kill him because Boo delights in being alone. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are the representation of the Mockingbird.
Tom Robinson becomes a mockingbird by only helping everyone and dying for his actions. Boo Radley is a recluse with an abusive father that earned mockingbird status through giving gifts, a blanket, and 2 kids lives. “when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things. Atticus, he was real nice.” “Most people are when you finally see them” These two quotes refer to the misunderstood nature of these two hardcore mockingbirds. The emotion added by this connection adds a lasting impact on the
It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird “shoot all the bluejays you want, but it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”. This quote is said by Atticus who is a lawyer that defends an innocent black man for being accused of raping a white women. To kill a mockingbird is set in the 1930s in Maycomb alabama where there was prejudices. This story is not just about racism but implies a deeper meaning, the mockingbird has a strong message and holds an important metaphorical meaning. The mockingbird is portrayed as a innocent fragile songbird that symbolizes innocence but is killed by men. Tom Robinson symbolizes an innocent fragile songbird because he does no harm to society, his voice is ignored by almost everyone, and he gets shot and killed just like an innocent fragile songbird.
It is a Sin to Kill Tom Robinson"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 make music for us to enjoy. That's why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird." (90) This quote is stated by Miss Maudie, underscoring the point of view of Atticus, who is a lawyer given an uphill job of substantiating a black man's innocence who is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewells. To Kill a Mockingbird is an inspirational and thought provoking story that is the first and the only novel written by Harper Lee. The basic time setting of the novel is in the 1930s during the Great Depression, in the fictional town of Maycomb Alabama, where prejudice
Tom Robinson is an example of a mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson was a black man in 1930, therefor it was unfair from the start. Tom Robinson was nothing but a kind man, he never harmed anyone. Tom saw Mayella struggling around the house. Her father was a drunk that left her to fend for her and the children. She did her best but once in awhile when Tom was passing by the EWell house Mayella would invite him inside the fence to see if her would help her with little tasks. One day she invited him inside to fix a door. When he got inside to fix the door her found there was nothing wrong with the door. That is when Mayella kissed Tom, however Tom is wrongfully charged with rape.