How Does Boo Radley Symbolize The Innocence Of To Kill A Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the characters Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both portrayed as the mockingbirds. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Miss Maudie tells Scout about the mockingbird: “ ‘Your father's right,’ she said. ‘Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ " (Lee, 119) While the mockingbird is an actual bird, it, however, is used as a metaphor in the novel and to symbolize the innocence of Boo Radley and of Tom Robinson. Boo Radley is believed by many children of Maycomb to be a horrible person due to many rumors spread about him and of the

He was called a mockingbird because of the rumors that were created in Maycomb. Some of these rumors were: he was about six-and-a-half feet tall, he ate raw squirrels and any cat he could catch, there was a long jagged scar that ran across his face, what teeth he had were yellow and rotten, his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time. (Lee, 16). Boo most of the time stayed indoors because of these rumors. When Jem and Scout received their air-rifles for Christmas, Scout heard her father tell Jem it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. She then asked Miss Maudie concerning this. Miss Maudie replied that mockingbirds don’t eat up people’s gardens or cause problems. All they do is sing songs all day. (Lee, 119). Their innocence was the reason why people shouldn’t kill them. Throughout the story, Jem and Scout set up games about the Radleys, they try to make Boo come out from his house through various ways, and they spy on Boo Radley during the night. Boo was never portrayed being furious of their actions, but instead he showed much love for them. During the cold night when Miss Maudie’s house caught on fire, Jem and Scout were outside watching the house burn. It was only after when they went inside their house that they noticed that they had a blanket on themselves. Little did they know that it was Boo Radley who came up behind them and covered them up to keep them warm. Another way Boo showed his

In this book, the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence. Atticus tells Jem that he shouldn’t shoot mockingbirds, because they don’t eat up people’s gardens and aren’t a nuisance to anyone. Boo Radley was characterized as the mockingbird. He was very innocent. Even though, he showed his kindness to Jem and Scout through many ways, Boo was still looked down upon and had many rumors spread about him. Tom Robinson is also attributed to a mockingbird, because of his innocence. In this story, Tom was accused and sent to trial for supposedly raping Mayella Ewell. Black people were already outcasts in this society. Because of this, Tom didn’t have any way out of the lies that were created against him by prejudiced people. In conclusion, the characters Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both portrayed as the mockingbirds which symbolizes