Tom Robinson's Innocence

“It is a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119). Most of the foreshadowing in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, comes in the form of references. Most often foreshadowing is referenced through Atticus talking to his children about how killing a mockingbird is a sin. Though many characters fit the characteristics of a mockingbird, Tom Robinson, who the story revolves around, is accused of something he did not do. Throughout the novel, multiple passages, including the title, indicate the innocence of Tom Robinson, and the outcome of his case.

Only a few beings exist as a mockingbird. Mockingbirds exist only for the enjoyment of others; they make other people’s lives brighter. Though in To Kill a Mockingbird Tom Robinson’s character does not hold prominence, he displays many honorable attributes. These qualities define him as a mockingbird. In this story, he enters as a desperate defendant battling for his life. Throughout the trial, however, he still exemplifies a few different, respectable traits. Even before the trial, he displayed a solid work ethic and a courtesy that one cannot deny. His truthfulness, respectfulness, and hard-working attitude make him a reputable character in this story. Permeating his struggle for justice, these characteristics shine through.

Tom Robinson, an innocent man was shot in prison after he was wrongly convicted and falsely accused in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. This action, along with others is found commonly throughout the book as defenceless characters get hurt and wrongly judged despite their innocent persona. Along with Tom Robinson other characters suffer too, people such as Boo Radley and Atticus Finch suffer from the cruel world around them. In the surrounding chaos, those few characters manage to preserve their innocent nature.

Tom Robinson’s case contributes to how he resembles a mockingbird and shows the injustice of society. Tom Robinson, an African-American man accused of raping a girl named Mayella Ewell, has his case taken to court. Tom is tried in front of a jury of twelve white men along with a white judge which does not display a fair representation of his peers. This results in them finding Tom guilty and sentencing him to death, even though all evidence points to him being innocent. Tom later gets shot while trying to escape prison. Atticus Finch, Tom’s lawyer, says in the beginning of the book, “‘It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’” (Harper Lee 119). Using the word “sin” shows harming an innocent being would be a very cruel thing to do, especially coming from Atticus. This relates to Tom Robinson’s situation because every piece of evidence from the trial proves he is not guilty, yet he still gets sent to jail and ends up being shot. The town’s newspaper publisher, Mr. Underwood, writes about Tom’s death and says, “ [I] likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children” (Lee 323). This quote emphasizes the similarities between Tom’s case and a mockingbird. Equally important, it uses words like “senseless” and “slaughter” to further highlight the severity of harming a creature who did nothing wrong. Lee compares Tom Robinson to the “songbirds” because both of them have positive effects on their surroundings and do nothing but be beneficial. Through the case of Tom Robinson, Lee shows the connection with the innocence of Tom to the symbol of a mockingbird.

Harper Maziarz Mr. VonFischer ELA-TKAM March 12th ‘24. Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the author uses symbolism to help express the importance of “mockingbird” characters in our society. A prominent example of this type of person is Tom Robinson, the way that he acts concerning others gives the reader a perspective into how he thinks as a person.

Scout asked Atticus why he must defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, Atticus responded, “For a number of reasons, Atticus said. The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t tell you or Jem not to do

The ability to help Tom knowing that many people would disrespect him was brave and kind. Atticus places his principals before his pride as he states, “Scout I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t help that man.” (pg 114). He believes that if he did not, “[he] couldn’t even tell Jem [or Scout] not to do something again.” (pg 82).

Scout asked Atticus why he decided to defend Tom and Atticus replies by saying,

Undoubtedly, Tom Robinson was one of the most important characters in the novel since he was an innocent man found guilty of raping a white woman. Tom was a victim of prejudice because he was unjustly convicted of a crime he did not commit based solely on the fact that he was a black man. He did not receive a fair chance of winning the case since the outcome was in favour of the woman that charged him with rape, Mayella Ewell. His defence attorney, Atticus Finch, was aware of this and so he exposed the state of mind many people in Maycomb have about black people to the jury: "The evil assumption that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates

Throughout the story, Tom Robinson is continually faced with the issue of inequality due to racism. During the trial, Mr. Ewell declares, “---I seen that black nigger yonder, ruttin’ on my Mayella!” (Lee 196). This demonstrates how people talk to blacks, they speak to them like they have no worth, almost like they are animals. In this example, Mr. Ewell seems to be assuming the worst, just like the rest of the court, mainly because Tom is black. Tom and Atticus have all the evidence that he is innocent, but it is all overlooked because of racism. This led to Tom dealing with the consequences of something he did not do, which eventually led to his death due to trying to escape prison. His death was really due to trying to escape the racism that Tom could no longer put up with. Tom

Also Scout asked why Atticus wants to defend Tom Robinson, Atticus says “For a number of reasons, the main one is if I didn’t, I couldn’t hold my head up in this town, and I couldn’t tell you and Jem not to do something again” (Atticus

The mockingbird represents innocence. Compared to someone hunting mockingbirds, people can kill innocence. Atticus urges his children not to shoot mockingbirds both literally and metaphorically. These were the kind of images that Lee hoped her readers would have understood. Lee wanted to prove to the post-war South that blacks and whites are more similar than they have thought. The color of the skin really made no difference, but was rather a mental separation. She wanted her audience to see that Tom Robinson was innocent, contrary to what people thought. During the time period, blacks were often at a disadvantage in the court of law and were often found guilty. Robinson became an important figure and “has become a role model for the legal profession”. (Malcom Gladwell, The Courthouse Ring).

Cry about the simple hell people give other people. without even thinking about it. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too. Tom Robinson is a hard-working married man and is nice to everyone in the story, which is why he is considered to be the mockingbird. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the situation of Tom Robinson is a result of the community's actions.

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird a major theme is the loss of innocence. Whether from emotional abuse, racial prejudice or learning, Boo, Tom, and Scout all lose their innocence in one sense or another. The prejudice that each character endures leads to their loss. Through the responses of Boo, Tom, and Scout, Harper Lee shows how each character responded differently to their loss of innocence.

Tom Robinson experiences multiple injustices in To Kill A Mockingbird. Tom Robinson faces death by the electric chair for rape allegations and a racially biased jury. In the text it states “I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury:’Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty…’” (Lee 282). The text shows an injustice occurred when the jury voted Tom Robinson guilty because of their own racial biases. The text also states “I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each ‘Guilty’ was a separate stab between them” (Lee 282). The text shows that even Jem is aware of the injustice and bias against blacks. These quotes