Similarities Between Radley And To Kill A Mockingbird

A mockingbird is a harmless songbird that offers only its beautiful voice. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age novel written by Harper Lee. This story took place in a small rural town called Maycomb County, in the 1930’s where everyone knew each other and all the townspeople were infected by a disease called gossip. This gossip harmed the “mockingbirds”, because all of them were “shot down” physically and metaphorically. Harper Lee implied that there were distinct characteristics that parallel mockingbirds. Arthur Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch each represent mockingbirds in their own ways.
The Radley’s were an unusual and secretive group of people. This family did not follow most of their town’s implied codes. For example, they

Tom Robinson was a kind and compassionate being. The only thing Tom was guilty of was that he “felt right sorry for [Mayella]” (264). Atticus stated, in the courtroom, that Mr. Robinson’s “case should have never come to trial” (271). Even all the evidence clearly shows that Tom Robinson is innocent, for example, Mayella Ewell was beaten on the right side of her face. Therefore, Mayella was “beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left hand” (272). Atticus showed that Mr. Ewell was left- handed, and also demonstrated that Tom only can use his right, because an accident that happened to his left hand when he was twelve. The evidence points out that Tom Robinson was not really in trial for being accused of a crime, but because of the color of his skin. The court case was a cover up of a domestic violence at a price of a black man’s life, a real human-

He had compassion in his heart and the thought of equality in his mind. He understood when people needed help but could not pay for it, and he knew that “it takes a long time sometimes…that you all’d ride [the harsh times] out together [SIC]” (205-206). He was troubled by the narrow- mindedness and prejudice of the townspeople. He knew, sadly, that the people in the court would automatically assume “that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women” (273). Atticus felt that he needed to uphold the justice. He needed to protect the innocent, because if he didn’t “[he] couldn’t hold up [his] head in the town, [he] couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, [he] couldn’t even tell [Scout] or Jem not to do something again” (100). Mr. Finch was an honest, considerate, and honorable man, who led the society down the right path and provided goodness to Maycomb County, just like a mockingbird.
Mockingbirds pleasure people with their marvelous melodies and show no harm towards others. Arthur Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch are all tormented and face being “shot down” by immoral thoughts that were permanently branded into the townspeople’s minds. All of these characters had songs to sing about how society should be improved. To conclude, people have to appreciate the good qualities in others and understand the bad characteristics by treating each other with kindness and trying to