Mockingbirds are harmless and good-hearted creatures that symbolizes innocence, however they are often misunderstood. Mockingbirds do not have intentions to harm anyone, however, they are harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally by the people around them. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy,” (90). The characters Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Dill Harris are examples of mockingbirds in the novel, for they symbolize kindness and innocence. These characters have all seen the injustice in the world which resulted in a loss of innocence. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, these innocent and misunderstood characters are victims of cruelty and prejudice which symbolizes them as mockingbirds.
Boo Radley is one …show more content…
He is a good-hearted man who shows kindness to Jem and Scout on multiple occasions without them knowing. In the beginning of the novel, he would leave them gifts inside the knot-hole of the tree. He also gave Scout the blanket on the night of the fire, and neatly folded Jem’s pants when he left them by the Radley house after hearing a gunshot. When Jem was trying to tell Atticus that Boo Radley has been doing nice things for him and Scout, he says, “I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us, he ain’t ever hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead. . .he ain’t ever hurt us,” (72). The people of Maycomb made him sound as if he is a monster which made everyone fear him. They would use him as the excuse for all the small inconveniences that happen in Maycomb. In the beginning of the novel, Jem describes Boo Radley to Dill based on the rumours he heard. “He dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands are bloodstained. . .There was a long jagged scar that ran …show more content…
He is a victim of racism and injustice because he got locked up then killed for a crime he did not commit. Tom helped Mayella Ewell with chores around her house, because he felt the need to help her and the children. During his trial, Tom explains how kind enough he was to help Mayella without getting anything in return. “She offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t help her none, and neither did the chillun, and I knowed she didn’t have no nickels to spare,” (191). Even though he has proven that he is an innocent man, he lost the trial because of his race. When Atticus tried to explain why Tom Robinson lost the trial, he says, “They couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly but those are the facts of life,” (220). He lost his freedom by getting locked up and killed for a crime he did not commit. “Senseless killing―Tom had been given due process of law to the day of his death. . . Atticus had used every tool to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed,” (241). Tom Robinson was a helpful and good-hearted man who never had intentions to harm anyone; he only wanted to give help to those in need of it. His
Boo Radley is one …show more content…
He is a good-hearted man who shows kindness to Jem and Scout on multiple occasions without them knowing. In the beginning of the novel, he would leave them gifts inside the knot-hole of the tree. He also gave Scout the blanket on the night of the fire, and neatly folded Jem’s pants when he left them by the Radley house after hearing a gunshot. When Jem was trying to tell Atticus that Boo Radley has been doing nice things for him and Scout, he says, “I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us, he ain’t ever hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead. . .he ain’t ever hurt us,” (72). The people of Maycomb made him sound as if he is a monster which made everyone fear him. They would use him as the excuse for all the small inconveniences that happen in Maycomb. In the beginning of the novel, Jem describes Boo Radley to Dill based on the rumours he heard. “He dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands are bloodstained. . .There was a long jagged scar that ran …show more content…
He is a victim of racism and injustice because he got locked up then killed for a crime he did not commit. Tom helped Mayella Ewell with chores around her house, because he felt the need to help her and the children. During his trial, Tom explains how kind enough he was to help Mayella without getting anything in return. “She offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t help her none, and neither did the chillun, and I knowed she didn’t have no nickels to spare,” (191). Even though he has proven that he is an innocent man, he lost the trial because of his race. When Atticus tried to explain why Tom Robinson lost the trial, he says, “They couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly but those are the facts of life,” (220). He lost his freedom by getting locked up and killed for a crime he did not commit. “Senseless killing―Tom had been given due process of law to the day of his death. . . Atticus had used every tool to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed,” (241). Tom Robinson was a helpful and good-hearted man who never had intentions to harm anyone; he only wanted to give help to those in need of it. His