That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (p 98) Atticus tells Jem and Scout this when he presents them with a gun for their christmas present and tells them never to shoot a mockingbird. The idea behind the warning given by Atticus and Miss Maudie is that if one was to kill a mockingbird, they would be destroying a symbol of innocence. The corruptions that affect the novel’s ‘mockingbirds’ are there to reflect the main message- that innocence can be mutilated by prejudice and intolerance. The existence of both innocence and prejudice reflects that good and evil exist together and are part of one another in all situations. This juxtaposition is central to the concept of the novel.
Scout takes this lesson all through the book and keeps reminding the readers of this life lesson. The life lesson of it's a sin to kill a mockingbird is shown when Atticus buys Jem and Scout air rifles for Christmas. Upon receiving the air rifles Atticus tells Jem” Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Scout asks Miss Maudie why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird "They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" From this life lesson Scout learns that, that life lesson doesn't just apply to birds but also humans in fact Tom Robinson.
At christmas, Atticus gives Jem and Scout air rifles as gifts. He tells the two that he would prefer they shoot at cans, but wagers that they may be tempted to shoot at living things. He tells them if they must hunt birds, they can shoot all the blue jays they want to, but to never kill a mockingbird. "Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Scout realized it was the only time she had ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something.
Through the novel, Golding demonstrates that rules are essential to keep people from becoming savage and to maintain order in society. Although some might still defend civilization and follow their morals without concrete rules, the majority, that have returned to their savage instincts, eventually annihilates them. A character that becomes savage with the absence of rules is Roger. The reader learns about his malicious nature early in the novel, when he throws stones at Henry. Although he wants to hit him, he always aims to miss because he still has vivid memories of “the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law” and he feels that there might be consequences for such actions (62).
Walter is a Cunningham, so he is inferior and should be treated as such. Scout embraces the racism thrust on her and fails to see any other path. Also early in the novel Scout, Jem and Dill are afraid of Boo Radley, they think he is a monster and try to play tricks on him. They don’t know Boo Radley and have never seen him but still judge him on stories they have heard. They are threatened by him, and are scared to go on his property.
He simply hears Romeo’s voice and wants to kill Romeo, even though Romeo has done nothing to Tybalt. Act 1, Scene 5, lines 52-57 state, “This, by his voice, should be a Montague. Fetch me my rapier, boy. What, dares the slave Come hither, covered with an antic face, To fleer and scorn at our solemnity? Now, by the stock and honor of my kin, To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.” (Allen et al.
At this point the boys lost all their sense of humanity and start to openly express their savage instincts. Piggy's death shows an individual, Roger is capable of committing murder. Roger in the beginning of the book invisibly expresses his savage instincts by throwing rocks at a lillun Henry but "throwing to miss"(62). In this scene Roger is well aware and knows that killing is wrong, because he was taught that in his civilized setting. When no consequences was taken for Rogers action, he begins to express his invisible powers more visibly.
‘Who hurt George?’ he demanded” (Steinbeck 73). Lennie’s childish anger in this scene proves how he is able to put others in danger without having a malicious reason to. Another scene was when Lennie panicked and accidentally broke Curley’s wife’s neck, due to his strength. Many situations like these can happen again, resulting in Lennie murdering more lives. George only obliterated this danger by killing Lennie.
Lennie had no idea what he was doing, and it wasn’t fair that he should be killed out of hate. George had learned from Candy when he said: "I ought to have shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog." (Page 86) Candy had taught him that if Lennie's death was unavoidable, it might as well be done by someone who cares about him. Lennie had to be killed out of
Brandon Montellano Mr. Nadherny Patterns in Literature, Period 5 11 November 2011 Themes of To Kill a Mockingbird “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird” Said by Atticus Finch, father of two children and a defender of an innocent man, Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman who is put in court for the act he did not do. In the story to kill a mocking bird, Scout, the daughter of Atticus, sees many different themes such as prejudice, intoerance and courage shown and demonstrated trough out many characters and especially through the Tom Robinson case. Prejudice today is nothing different than it was back than where people judge and say thing about others who they see through a foggy window. Though many types of prejudice