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Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

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A mockingbird is a symbol of innocence, and to kill it would mean the demolishment of one’s innocence—hence the personified title “To Kill a Mockingbird.” A dominating theme depicted in the novel is the destruction of one’s innocence. In this novel, Scout, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are portrayals of mockingbirds through their development and innocence. In the beginning, Scout, our protagonist, is innocent, naive, and confident; due to facing the issues of injustice and racism, she has matured significantly. Scout had decided to follow her father when he had gone to visit the jail. Immediately, she runs up to the hostile group with no concept that they could be malicious; this is a prime example of Scout’s innocence, assuming that the world is pure. Through the trial, Scout’s belief that everyone is good starts to waver as she is exposed to more serious topics. …show more content…

Living in a racist town, Tom Robinson who was a holy, generous, and hardworking, had to endure racism for his whole life. Mockingbirds are weak, innocent, and gentle; in Maycomb County, Robinson will always be ‘weak’ against a white person because of the racism. “Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to more ‘n the rest of em—.” This quote from Tom Robinson truly shows his compassion and innocence, even when he is against Mayella in the trial, he continues to sympathize with her. The end verdict of guilty, symbolizes him no longer being innocent—him dying later illustrates the “kill” in the title. Tom Robinson’s innocence was shattered by a guilty verdict when he was falsely convicted of raping

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“There’s something in our world that make men lose their heads – they couldn’t be fair if they tried the white men always win” (pg. 220) in the 1930s racism at the time was powerful and strong the connection it had with people made a hatred emotion towards Tom, the white men will always win. Despite all the evidence that prove Tom is innocent, people still view him as guilty. Tom Robinson never committed a crime he is as innocent as a mockingbird, if racism was not a big deal as it was Tom would be a free man. Secondly, even when Tom is on trial at a chance he might die, he still shows kindness and compassion like a mockingbird. During the trial, Tom was called up by Atticus to give his side of the story.

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305 Words | 2 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson’s innocence can be proven through Mayella's injuries, Bob’s history of neglect, and discrepancies between Bob and Mayelaa’s testimonies. First, Tom’s disability makes it impossible for him to have caused Mayella’s injuries. For example, Heck and Bob testified that all around her neck and the right side of her face is bruised. Tom could not have done this because his left hand is weak and mangled. Bob on the other hand is left-handed.

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565 Words | 3 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was a perfect example of the loss of innocence. Innocence is such a pure thing, yet can be injured or destroyed through being around bad things. Pure means many things, but the best definition is being without contamination. Throughout this anecdote the case of Tom Robinson and the introduction to social classes and evil was shown not only to the children, but the adults too. The knowledge shared with them through this story.

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365 Words | 2 Pages

Of course Boo Radley shows his innocence, but what happens with that innocence? This idea is showcased throughout the book in the form of Atticus's metaphors, Tom Robinson being innocent in the court case, and boo radleys character. Harper Lee's most important example about preserving innocence is in the case of Boo murdering Bob Ewell. Boo is seen as a mysterious character, then later revealed to be extremely caring for Jem and Scout. His innocence is extremely obvious, but he has a dark side.

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882 Words | 4 Pages

Innocence, according to Merriam Webster Dictionary, is defined as “freedom from guilt or sin through being unacquainted with evil.” In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird, the story was based off of a time period where segregation was common; Jem and Scout grew up in a segregated world, and as the book progressed they both were coming to realize the dangers of the world and why segregation was such a horrific situation. One situation that both kids found unfair was the situation with Tom Robinson, a man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Tom had been put in an awful situation, his innocence was ruined, and he was shown as a symbol of a mockingbird throughout the book. Tom Robinson was an innocent man put in front of the court on

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852 Words | 4 Pages

Cael Schofield Mrs. Lawson English 10 11 January 2023 The Innocence of Tom Robinson African Americans are often judged by the color of their skin. This is shown in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it takes place in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama where African American named Tom Robinson is accused of mistreating a woman named Mayella Ewell. Mayella is the daughter of Bob Ewell and they have one of the messiest home lives in the town.

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575 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, innocence is represented in various ways. The society that the characters live in affects their behavior and are ultimately a product of their environment. There are four mockingbirds, they are Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem Finch. The first mockingbird we have is Jem Finch.

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244 Words | 1 Pages

In the novel to Kill a Mockingbird the author believes that harming innocence is still trying even though you might lose your innocence when harming something. One example from To Kill A Mockingbird is when Atticus does not let his children torment Boo Radley. The author writes,” Give me those scissors” Atticus said,” they are no things to play with. Does this by any chance have anything to do with the Radleys' '

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493 Words | 2 Pages

Innocence is the light in the world and each child is born with it. It’s only a matter of time until it’s ripped from them. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A mockingbird, Scout, Jem and Dill’s childhood innocence are slowly wore away as they realize the world isn’t as bright as they think. The word “Dibs” can be a child’s downfall or their triumph. Only three letters give a child the security of a certain fate, but in a court trial, Jem’s eyes are opened to the possibility of losing no matter how you play your cards.

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699 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young girl by the name of Jean Finch and her brother Jeremy Finch go through events that teach them multiple different life lessons like changing their perspectives to other peoples before judging them. This ties in the meaning of the mockingbird which represents innocence because it causes no harm to anyone; to judge or to harm it proves that one does not understand its perspective. In the novel, Harper Lee brings up many times where the representation of a mockingbird appears. There is one direct time when their father, Atticus, asks the kids not to shoot any mockingbirds and Ms. Maudie tells Scout “Your father’s right. Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.

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Alvina Dennis, Boles Childlike Innocence Reading a novel that shows the true essence of an innocent child's perspective leaves the audience to decipher its true meaning when the innocence fades away. If we view our society in an innocent manner it shields us from the dangers of racism, prejudice, and hypocrisy, unforgettably popular topics in the early 1930s. In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a MockingBird, the audience perceives a childlike innocence portrayed by Jem, but later that innocence is “killed”, after a falsified sexual assault case that left an innocent man to his death. Jem is growing up in the town of Maycomb with his younger sister Scout and his father Atticus. Jem is shown to be naive, adventurous, and courageous- all childlike

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556 Words | 3 Pages

Many themes can be found in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. The many older, wiser characters that have a lot of knowledge to offer make the most important theme in this story: innocence vs experience. The character that offers the most knowledge to the children is Atticus. Secondly, there is Calpurnia, who’s been helping to raise these kids their whole life. There are also many town’s people who have offered their wisdom to Scout and Jem.

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1985 Words | 8 Pages

Loss of innocence is when someone comes to a realization through an event that alters their perception and understanding of reality. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in the small town of Maycomb in the 1930s, also known as the Great Depression. Many characters play a specific role in the novel, for instance, Boo Radley plays a mysterious character that scares children unintentionally because of events in the past. Atticus Finch, who is a white lawyer, becomes well-known to the black activists in the community because he takes on the case of Tom Robison, a black person accused of raping a white woman. The aftermath of taking the case was sizable.

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447 Words | 2 Pages

According to the dictionary, innocence is the quality in a person or thing that lacks impurity which makes a person innocent of a crime or offense. Innocence itself in a person should not be tested or forgotten because it is what makes a person free of wrong doings and hatred. In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the symbol of the mockingbird to portray how innocence should be preserved and protected from the discrimination and prejudice of the world. Harper Lee uses Boo Radley in her novel to portray her own understanding of innocence by showing how innocence can be the victim of prejudice which can be saved. The beginning of the book talks about how Boo lived in an eerie house and stayed in his house all day which led kids to believe there was a phantom inside (10).

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1376 Words | 6 Pages

Allison Dossman Honors English I 3rd Mrs. Ward 10 April 2023 To Kill a Mockingbird: Loss of Innocence Childhood is meant to be like a warm and safe bubble meant to protect oblivious children from the difficulties of reality. To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a classic novel that shows the life of Scout Finch, Jem, her brother, and Dill, a friend, through a portion of their childhood. The portrayal of three children’s lives reveals how the loss of innocence in their childhood was inevitable as it began fading away in the beginning of their childhood and was completely diminished within a few years. Early on, Scout, Jem, and Dill were investigating an old story about a man named Boo, also known as Arthur Radley, and snuck up

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