To Kill A Mocking Bird Title Analysis

The classic, “To Kill A Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee, is one of the most famous books studied by high school students. Within the story lies lessons for all generations and tells a moving story about prejudices against minorities, in this case, an African American named Tom Robinson. The title of any book can completely bring together a story or just be words on the front cover; Harper Lee took the main lesson and created the title, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” making her story one of the most important literature classics in schools around the country. The symbolism wrapped in the title gave the book a whole new meaning. One of the reasons I believe Harper Lee chose the title was because she showed importance in all things. In the book it states, “He was certainly never cruel to animals, but I had never known his charity to embrace the insect world. ‘Why …show more content…
The text hinted at the purpose of the title even more at these two quotes, “… ‘but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’… ‘Your father’s right,’ she said. ‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy” (pg. 103) and when it says, “Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples… He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children” (pg.275). The text evidence, without doubt, relates the killing of Tom Robinson to the killing of a Mockingbird. Instead of expressing and putting a spot light on the racism that led to the unfortunate death, Harper Lee leaves metaphoric quotes throughout the rest of the book relating to the injustice done to Tom Robinson. This approach easily allowed her to display the errors and wronging our country committed against African Americans in that time period, without overwhelming the reader. It is clear that the title was carefully created to impact the reader through a different