The loss of innocence is a difficult experience for many, but it is a challenge we all go through. Jem, Tom, and Boo all relate to the loss of innocence. Boo was labeled as an evil person, Tom was judged by the color of his skin, and Jem was exposed to the adult world. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses a mockingbird to represent innocence in an attempt to portray the cruelty in the world.
To begin, Jem is an example of a mockingbird because he loses his innocence through his experience with the Tom Robinson trial. An example of this is when he realizes the justice system is not fair after finding out Tom lost. On page 242, Scout states, “His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right,’ he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square when we found Atticus waiting” (Lee 242). Upon hearing the results of the trial, Jem left the courtroom shocked, upset, and angry. Therefore, Jem was exposed to the prejudice in Maycomb towards people who are black. As you can see, Jem is an example of a mockingbird because he lost his faith in the people of Maycomb and the justice system,
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For instance, Tom Robinson was convicted of a crime, even though all odds were in his favor. This shows that the people in Maycomb do not care about what is right, but rather the color of a person's skin. On page 267, Scout says, “Calpurnia said Atticus told her that the day they took Tom to prison he just gave up hope. She said Atticus tried to explain things to him, and that he must do his best not to lose hope because Atticus was doing his best to get him free” (Lee 267). To explain, Tom was tired of putting his faith in the court system. Tom died because he lost hope and therefore tried to escape from prison but got shot seventeen times, as a result. In summary, Tom Robinson represents the mockingbird because he was failed by the justice