That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Maudie, 90). Maudie explains to Scout that killing a mockingbird is sinful because they are innocent creatures who do nothing to harm us. Boo Radley most represents the mockingbird and the theme ‘innocence should be treasured, not destroyed’. At first, Boo Radley appears to be big and scary. Stories went around about him, discriminating and degrading him, causing Boo to stay in his house and out of the public eye.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds, such as Atticus, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson are mistaken as blue jays because of persecutors such as Bob Ewell, Miss Stephanie, and the angry mob. As Miss Maudie says, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy,” (Lee 90). Atticus is an innocent man who attempts to help Tom Robinson as much as
This allows the message to sink into the reader. The title of the novel is an obvious indicator to the author’s purpose which is to criticise prejudiced societies and people in the world. The mockingbird symbol is referred to by a variety of characters; from Atticus to Miss Maudie to Mr Underwood who “likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds”. Atticus’s message against harming those who have done no wrong is passed on to his son Jem who advises Scout to let a roly poly bug live “because they don’t bother you.” By doing this, Atticus exhibits that all it takes is the power of one to make a change to overcoming prejudice in people. His courage in defending ‘coloured’ Tom Robinson in a court case and enduring insults such as “nigger-lover,” helped to bring about the beginning of change in Maycomb.
Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee, 90). Miss Maudie explains to the children why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s garden, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Lee,
Tom Robinson, boo Radley and Scout finch are all major characters in the book that have similarities to the symbolic mocking bird.the characters all show innocence, happiness and hope. The thought of killing one of these can rafters would be like disturbing the peace of the harmless song the mocking bird whistles. Tom Robinson is a character the betrays the characteristics of a mockingbird. Tom Robinson is acaused of rapping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. During the court case we hear the evidence given to prove toms innocence.
Innocence is shown through the characterisation of Boo as a harmless man, he lives with his brother and leaves the house rarely he has little protection from the outside world, this can be related to a section of the book where Atticus says to scout and jem "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." This symbolises the destruction of innocence in that killing a mockingbird is in a sense killing innocence as the birds are innocent, this can be related to Boo radley, he is
All they do is sing and chirp. Atticus Finch said “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird”. He’s basically saying that it is a sin to kill innocent things or people. I wonder if Boo Radley knows all about the rumors that go around the neighborhood. I think the book also expressing the importance of education to kids.
Motifs- Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy, but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. Setting- Maycomb, Alabama Universal Statements- Sometimes we have to make the best of things, and the way we conduct ourselves when the chips are do. In the book the characters of Atticus, Jem, and Scout have you captivated.
They have done it before and they did it tonight and they still do it again and again and when they do it – seems only children weep.” (Lee 213) Therefore through the characters of Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson, the roots of behaviour were portrayed in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Innocence and cruelty were portrayed through the treatment of Tom Robinson. He was an innocent man treated cruelly by the people of Maycomb. Even the title of the book had something to do with innocence. This can be seen in the famous quote where Atticus refers to the mockingbirds as innocent creatures: “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird.
When Scout and Jem get air rifles for Christmas, Atticus tells them that they could shoot birds, but not mockingbirds, because it was a sin to kill them. Perplexed by this, Scout says, “That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it” (90). When Scout gets curious about something, she asks an adult in her life questions until she finds the answer. Another example happens when Cecil Jacobs calls Atticus a “nigger-lover” and Scout asks Atticus about it: “Then why did Cecil say you defend niggers? He made it sound like were runnin’ a still” (75).