What Does To Kill A Mockingbird Mean?

314 Words2 Pages
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee signifies the meaning of the title. First, the author exemplifies what mockingbird means. Next, the author symbolizes the characters in the book as a mockingbird. Finally, the author conveys the theme of the book. This novel conveys the message that people should never judge on how they look. The mockingbird first appears when Jem and Scout get a new air rifle. Atticus tells them that “it's a sin to kill a mockingbird” (98). This is because mockingbirds “don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” (98). This represents that the author uses mockingbirds as a metaphoric word for innocence. Tom Robinson is one of the characters in the novel who symbolize as a mockingbird. Even though Atticus finds a perfect evidence that Tom Robinson is not guilty, Tom Robinson still found himself guilty because of his race. Afterwards, he was killed like a mockingbird. He is a great illustration of innocent which can be compared to the mockingbirds. The title of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, supports the theme of innocence in general. Both mockingbirds and Tom Robinson have similarities. For example, Tom Robinson helps Mayella regardless of her social class. Mockingbirds make music for people to enjoy. In fact, they both do something nice to help others. They never harm people no matter who they are. This represent that there is no reason to kill or harm them if they do not do anything. People need to see other people’s personality and their point of view. If every person sees other people’s point of views, we would never have problems such as discrimination, social class, or prejudice. Tom Robinson would have been not guilty and may still be alive. The title of the novel directs us warnings that people cannot harm the innocent
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