In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the main themes of the story is that it is a sin to kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters, says on page 93, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird." He says that because mockingbirds do nothing to harm people, they just sing their songs, and they don't damage gardens, or harm other animals. This can also be seen as a metaphor throughout the story. Many of the characters are symbolically mockingbirds, as someone, or society in general, has harmed them for something they aren't guilty of. Due to this, they fall victim to label that they do not deserve. Three characters in particular who are mockingbirds are Tom Robinson,
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With Atticus as his lawyer, they go through a long trial, with the whole town watching. In the end, he is found guilty of a crime he did not commit. Page 244 supports this by saying, "Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children," This makes his one of the symbolic mockingbirds in the story, as society's prejudice conflicted harm upon him just because of their internal issues. Arthur "Boo" Radley is another obvious mockingbird throughout the book. From before the book started, he was socially exiled, talked about, and seen as a scary horrible person. Yet, he did many kind things for Jem and Scout Finch. He mended Jem's pants, left toys and trinkets for them in the tree, put a blanket around Scout the night of the fire, and saved them from Bob Ewell's attack on them. This shows that, in reality, he was a kind, quiet, and misunderstood person, who was viewed wrong by the people of Maycomb, thus making him one of the symbolic mockingbirds shown in the book. The final metaphorical mockingbird of the book was Atticus Finch. Atticus was hated by the whole town for defending Tom Robinson, an African American.
With Atticus as his lawyer, they go through a long trial, with the whole town watching. In the end, he is found guilty of a crime he did not commit. Page 244 supports this by saying, "Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children," This makes his one of the symbolic mockingbirds in the story, as society's prejudice conflicted harm upon him just because of their internal issues. Arthur "Boo" Radley is another obvious mockingbird throughout the book. From before the book started, he was socially exiled, talked about, and seen as a scary horrible person. Yet, he did many kind things for Jem and Scout Finch. He mended Jem's pants, left toys and trinkets for them in the tree, put a blanket around Scout the night of the fire, and saved them from Bob Ewell's attack on them. This shows that, in reality, he was a kind, quiet, and misunderstood person, who was viewed wrong by the people of Maycomb, thus making him one of the symbolic mockingbirds shown in the book. The final metaphorical mockingbird of the book was Atticus Finch. Atticus was hated by the whole town for defending Tom Robinson, an African American.