Innocence In 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

John Adams once claimed, “It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished.” Adams believe that society pays more attention to the people who commit an evil gesture and get away with it a one innocent person who has committed nothing, yet is punished or sentenced to death. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the scene where Heck Tate explains why it should be a secret that Jem and Scout were rescued by Bob Ewell, helps to develop the theme that all innocence must be protected through the authority and emotional appeal of Sheriff Tate. Firstly, the unforgettable night of the October 31st scene develops Lee’s …show more content…
For instance, on page 369, Tate makes an emotional appeal by attempting to convince Atticus that it would rather be better to claim that Bob Ewell fell on his knife, when he sates “I never heard tell that it’s against the law for a citizen to do his utmost to prevent a crime from being committed, which is exactly what he did, but maybe you’ll say it’s my duty to tell the town all about it and not hush it up.” This shows the central theme because Sheriff Tate opens Atticus’s eyes to see that Boo is innocent and did something reasonable, therefore he should not be blamed or punished for his action. On the whole, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, has been a novel talked about by many of its readers since the 1960’s because it states the simple question if we should protect innocence. The novel answers this question by showing that at times we need to break the law made and enforced by man to support God’s wishes and what he wants. In final analysis, upholding moral and standing up to protect innocence is the right thing to do. We as people and as a society should take thought that innocence must be protected seriously, as it may be beneficial to us in