Theme Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

Children are just about the purest, most innocent, and most beautiful things in the world. Nothing else can even begin to compete with a child’s view of the world. When a child’s perspective about the world is ruined by sheer logic and inappropriate facts, nothing can ever repair it. Innocence is a gift that is bestowed upon children. Scout has been given this gift. In Maycomb there was one unwritten rule: “‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’” (103), Atticus informs Jem. Because of the general understanding of the unwritten rule in Maycomb, and our understanding of Scout’s characteristics through the course of the novel, it is indisputable that Scout is the ideal character to

Mockingbirds are innocent, like all children, especially Scout. Miss Maudie’s explanation of the subject “‘They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs…’”(103) relates to Scout because she does nothing to harm the town, just like a mockingbird. Like a mockingbird, innocent little Scout lives her life normally. Scout, like all children, doesn’t understand racial prejudices, social stigmas, rape, lynching, morphine addictions, and many other things around the town of Maycomb that she is experiencing. Since she does not understand any of these horrible events taking place, she is not taking part in the distressing things or worse things because she doesn’t understand enough about them. Therefore, she can be considered innocent in comparison to the rest of the town. It is blaringly obvious that Scout is not corrupted by the society because she is upset when the jury finds Tom Robinson guilty. Atticus realizes this through the course of parenting in the novel and informs Uncle Jack that, “‘Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ‘em.’” (99). Children have no experience with the nasty things that are going on around them, and they are not used to them. When the kids in the book see unfairness or evil (specifically Scout), they recognize it right away because it stands out to them. They have not developed a thick skin from experiencing evil before, and that is what sets Scout apart from everyone in the