“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”. Miss Maudie, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, is telling Scout that it is never ok to kill a mockingbird because they do not do any harm to anyone, and they are kind and are a symbol of goodness. Harper Lee uses the mockingbird to symbolize the characters, Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Harper Lee uses the symbolism of the mockingbird to illustrate the character of Boo Radley. Jem and Scout are realizing why Boo mysteriously stays locked up in his house. Jem says, ”I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed …show more content…
Atticus is giving his final testimony to the jury, he says, "There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing”(Lee 232). Atticus is telling the whole courtroom that everyone makes this assumption that all African American people are bad. That statement is a simple lie because everyone has done something bad in their life whether they are black or white. Tom may have made a bad decision by talking to mayella but he certainly did her no harm. Tom Robinson is characterized as a mockingbird because he has not caused anyone or anything harm. In the same way, Jem and Atticus are discussing how the trial wasn’t fair, Atticus explains to Jem that, "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash" (252). Tom Robinson is described as an innocent person through Atticus’s words. There is no reason for Tom to be accused for this trial because all of the evidence doesn’t add up to Tom being the bad person in this case. Tom is symbolized as a mockingbird because he is innocent. The characteristics, similar to Boos, of innocence and kindness symbolize Tom as a …show more content…
Scout is talking about how the Ewell family looks, she says “Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean, and I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewell yard”(203). The Ewell family is seen as a dirty, mean family to the town of Maycomb but Mayella seems to be the only one who tries to not have this dirty image. She wants to depict a better picture of her family. By doing this she is kind to people and shows a better image of herself. Mayella is a mockingbird because even though her her family is dirty and mean, Mayella is different from them, she’s kind. Similarly, Atticus is giving his final testimony about the trial. Atticus says, “What did her father do? We don’t know, but there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left”(232). Who ever it was, Mayella had to suffer through a beating which everyone knows that it was bob because of the evidence. Mayella is innocent, she may have kissed Tom Robinson but that wasn’t any reason for her father to beat her. Mayella is symbolized as the mockingbird because of her innocence. The characteristic of innocence is why Mayella symbolizes a
Mockingbirds: Emblems of innocence in To Kill A Mockingbird There are many mockingbirds in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The image of mockingbirds represent many people in the story and how many people take advantage of them for their own benefits. Scout, a young girl who lives in Maycomb is the story’s protagonist. She lives with her brother and father and occasionally meets Calpurnia their cook. For instance, Tom Robinson and Calpurnia are treated differently because of their skin color, however they are very close to the Finch family.
Tom Robinson is innocent of the crimes he is accused of, but people do not believe what he says. Lots of people get blamed for things that they did not necessarily do. People are victimized and tortured for no reason, this is what a mockingbird is. In Lord of the Flies, there's lots of examples of how Piggy could be known as a Mockingbird.
The mockingbird represents true goodness and innocence that should always be protected. Another character who shows loss of innocence is Tom Robinson. He is accused of raping Mayella Ewell but because of obvious evidence, he is innocent. In effect, he gets shot to death for being a kindhearted man who saw a girl in need of help and helped her with daily fixing’s around the house. He was an innocent man who had a family and a life, but that was destroyed because of the color of his skin.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many different types of reactions, and point of views to the verdict of Tom Robinson. Robinson, being a man accused of rape, is an African American. Maycomb townspeople are racist, therefore there will be an unfair ending to the verdict. The townspeople, the children, and Atticus all have different views of this. The townspeople feel as if the right thing was done, charging Tom as guilty.
(Lee 232). Atticus was very clever in using this piece of evidence against the opposition. To summarize, Atticus says that Mayella was severely beaten on the left side. He explains how Tom Robinson’s only good hand is his right hand, meaning that it would have been almost impossible for Tom to have beaten Mayella on the left. To add to this, Atticus also says that Mr. Ewell expressed that he was left-handed, a sure tell sign that he could have been the one to beat Mayella up on the left side.
At the trial when the verdict is read which is “…guilty…guilty…guilty…It was Jem’s turn to cry… ’ It ain’t right,’ he muttered…”(211-212) As an innocent boy Jem does not understand why Tom Robinson was found guilty, everything seems to go in his favor up until the verdict. What is more is, after the death of Tom Robinson Scout says Jem told her that “Mr. Ewell was more hot gas than anything” (241). This is made obvious when the Mockingbird reveals that Jem has somewhat grasped the situation of the verdict and Tom’s death and trying to make the best of it. All things considered, the Mockingbird reveals in Jem that he has realize why Tom Robinson had to be convicted and that his death was just part of the racism of his
There are many ways that he is a mockingbird and it is shown several times throughout the novel such as when Atticus says, “‘I guess Tom was tired of white men’s and preferred to take his own’” (Lee 258). This quote is from when Tom was killed in an attempt to escape. Atticus is talking about how Tom Robinson felt the decisions and life in general went. He didn’t feel in control of anything that was going to happen in trial.
‘mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy’”(Lee 90). She is taught this lesson through the characters Boo and Tom Robinson. Tom was shown as a Mockingbird since everyone had known he was innocent but was charged, showing that they were sentencing a Mockingbird. Another reason why Tom is a Mockingbird is even during his testimony, he did not tell the court about everything that had happened that evening, just so that he could save Mayella one last beating. Tom tells us during his testimony that Mayella asked
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy…but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." The title To a Kill Mockingbird means to destroy someone’s innocence. In Harper Lee’s To Kill Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a white lawyer who decides to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman.
In this quote Atticus explains how Bob Ewell beats his children. This takes place right after Bob spits in Atticus’ face " So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take.” As one can see, Bob beats his children. Therefore, it can be inferred that Mayella is scared of him and that is why she lied like a coward. Furthermore, now that it has been shown that Mayella is afraid of her father, in this quote Judge Taylor is trying to get Mayella to speak the truth about who she is scared of because she is crying on the podium.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the term mockingbird symbolizes innocence in a person. In the novel it focuses on the fact that innocence, represented by the mockingbird, can be wrongfully harmed. There are two characters: Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley that are supposed to represent the mockingbird. In the novel, Tom Robinson is the best example of a mockingbird because he is prosecuted for a crime he did not commit. Also, he was judged unfairly based on the color of his skin in his trial.
The Beauty of the Southern Flowers “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between.” (Lee 278). When it comes to the topic of flowers, most of us will readily agree that they represent development, growth, beauty and happiness. For instance, Roses are known for signifying love and deep passion while Lotus flowers are known for purity of the heart. Nonetheless, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee utilizes flowers to symbolize the strength and character that women of Maycomb possess.
Innocent Mockingbirds Wanted Thesis: Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley all symbolize mockingbirds because of their traits, qualities, and actions. I. Topic Sentence: Tom Robinson symbolizes a mockingbird because he is not harmful, he is misunderstood, and he is killed over a judgmental reason. A. Claim: Behind his skin color, Tom loved to assist others without a reward. 1. Primary Evidence: He claimed that he would Mayella Ewell without being payed by saying, “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time.
Because the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence it is symbolic of the characters of Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. Both are misunderstood and judged by the townspeople without really knowing them. Tom Robinson is killed violently due to being put in prison because
Mockingbirds are an important symbol because they represent goodness and innocence. In this book, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are two innocent men, similar to mockingbirds, who get taken advantage of due to their innocence. Atticus and Miss Maudie teach Scout and Jem that it’s a sin to harm anything innocent by using the example of mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are innocent because they only positively affect people through their singing.