Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

Would you ever kill a butterfly just because it flies around you. Probably not because it is innocent and hasn’t done anything to harm you. In the town of Maycomb a mockingbird symbolizes an innocent thing that poses no threat; however many characters in the book possess traits similar to that of a mockingbird and they are still harmed due to the prejudice of the citizens of maycomb. In the novel to Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the symbolism of innocence of the mockingbird to develop and describe the characters of Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell, and Jem Finch.

Tom Robinson is an innocent, gentle person who did good for a damaged woman but ended up paying with his life. Tom Robinson was unjustly accused of raping Mayella Ewell, while in court,

Tom only had intentions of helping Mayella because he witnessed the pain and suffering that she encountered in her household and wanted to help. Like a mockingbird Tom showed no harm towards Mayella and only displayed his hardworking personality, but he still ended up paying for his kindness with his life. In addition to Tom being accused of something he didn’t do, he also encountered racial injustice in the courtroom. When Atticus is closing his case he tries to convince the court to look at the facts rather than the skin color of the people. Atticus tells the judge that” This case is as simple as black and white”(lee124). Atticus uses the irony of the simplicity of black and white to try and tell the court that this is not a difficult case to understand since there are no complicated facts. THis is ironic because this case is actually very complicated ; there are racial issues presented in the case because it is a white man using his power to accuse an innocent black man. Throughout The book citizens of Maycomb describe the importance of not killing a mockingbird because to do so would be a sin. This is because all they do is make music and cause no harm, yet sometimes they still get

When Heck Tate is talking to Atticus about Boo Crime, he tells Atticus to keep his mouth shut about Boo’s real actions because telling so would be like committing a sin. Heck Tate explains this by saying to Atticus that “ To my way of thinkin’, Mr.Finch, taking the one man’s who’s done, you and this town a great service an’ draggin him with his shy ways into the limelight— to me, that’s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about the have it on my head”(lee169). Boo was a quiet man who kept to himself and didn’t bother other people. He left trinkets and toys for kids and saved scout and Jem , but because he stayed to himself and didn’t reveal himself often, people had assumed that he was a dirty man with rotten teeth and popped eyes. Boo represents a mockingbird because he was innocent and didn’t do anything to build up the reputation he had acquired. He always thought about others before himself and even though he committed a crime, it was only to prevent a worse one from happening. The attention it would bring from telling others would be a sin because in the town of maycomb it was a sin to kill a mockingbird and in the book Boo is described as having the innocence of the mockingbird. After,Jem began to understand Boo, he realized why he stays inside all the time. Jem explains to scout that “ I think I’m beginning to