Set during the Great Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee in 1960. In this novel, there is a character named Atticus Finch who comes to represent justice and sympathy throughout the story. One of his ideas is that it’s a sin to kill mockingbirds for “they don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” Atticus uses to these words to instruct his children, Scout and Jem, on the proper way to use their guns, but this phrase also has a symbolic meaning. In To Kill a Mockingbird, like the title implies, several “mockingbirds” are “killed”: Tom Robinson, Arthur “Boo” Radley, and Jem Finch.
Tom Robinson is a “mockingbird” in this novel because he only tries to bring joy to the people around him, including Mayella.
Tom Robinson is a “mockingbird” in this novel because he only tries to bring joy to the people around him, including Mayella.