To Kill a Mockingbird

In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, it is made clear that is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The title of the story is basically the theme of the novel. "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 heart out for us." (pg 90). The birds are said to represent innocence and would never try to harm anyone. The novel includes at least three mockingbird figures that represent the qualities of a mockingbird in one way or another. These characters are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch. All three of these characters wouldn't ever want to harm anyone without a good reason; therefore they are all good people.

First, Tom Robinson is an African American who never hurt a soul ,who was accused of rape during the novel. He is an innocent man who always worked hard and never fought with anyone who told him what to do. He controlled his temper and helped people whenever he could. An example of this is how he helps Mayella Ewell out every day he walked by where she lived. Each day she would have a little job for him to do and he'd do it without a problem or complaint because he was just that kind of person. Tom ended up being accused of rape by Mayella and her father and even though Tom was completely innocent, he had to go through the trial and ended up being found guilty because of his race. Accusing him of rape was like shooting down a mockingbird. During the trial, Mr. Gilmer questioned Tom and why he was helping out Mayella. "Looked like she didn't have nobody to help her...Tried to help her...I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em." (pg 197). Tom didn't have an easy life and he was never treated equally by anyone. He had enough work to do himself, but he felt the need to help Mayella because he felt sorry for her. This just proves that he's a very giving person and very unselfish. He is innocent and did all he could to try to make Mayella's life easier, but was punished for it, which makes him a mockingbird figure.

Secondly, Boo Radley is also a great example of a mockingbird figure in the novel. Boo is never seen stepping foot outside his house until the end and he went through life without wanting to hurt a fly. His father was cruel and made him stay inside the house his whole life. Boo was looked down on and talked about by most people in Maycomb, but Jem always thought of him as a good person. Throughout the story, Boo seems to be there for Jem and Scout when they need it. Two small examples are when he sews up Jem's pants that got caught on the fence and the other is when he puts a blanket over Scout during Miss Maudie's house fire. The biggest and most important example of Boo protecting Jem and Scout is in the end when Bob Ewell attempts to kill them on their way home from school at