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The Theme of Innocence in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

1231 Words5 Pages

Theme: Innocence
One of the themes presented in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is innocence. Innocence is one of the key elements which shape and connect the whole piece together. The title itself uncovers the importance of the innocence factor in the book. As Miss Maudie explains, mockingbirds represented innocence. For this reason “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 119). Because they don’t do anything but “sing their hearts out for us” (Lee 119). In this world, there is still some purity, which is what the mockingbirds represent. Although the mockingbird symbolism is a core tool used to share the theme of candidness, it is possible to catch the motif on other occasions. Every time Scout and Jem talk about the Radley Place, or the …show more content…

The reader encounters symbolism in different occasions, an example being the mockingbirds representing the innocence. Another case where symbolism is present is the character of Mrs Dubose. Her addiction and her will to overcome it portrays Mrs Dubose as an epitome of courage in Atticus ' eyes. She symbolises the courage which the protagonists will need due to the trial of Tom Robinson in which Atticus is taking part of. To Kill a Mockingbird is divided into two parts. The first one has more to do with the introduction of the city and of the Radley family to the reader. The second part has more to do with the Tom Robinson trial. Atticus is the lawyer defending the defendant at the court, meaning that he and his family will automatically be labelled as “nigger-lovers” (Lee 110), which at the time didn’t have a positive connotation to it and was used as an insult. The story of Mrs Dubose comes right at the end of Part I, representing the courage which the reader and the protagonists need to face the events that are going to happen in Part II of the book. From that point onwards Mrs Dubose’s story will remind the protagonists that bravery isn’t “a man with a gun in his hand” (Lee 149) and will represent what real

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'Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty...' I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each "guilty" was a separate stab between them… (Lee 211). Jem and Scout Finch from the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Arnold Spirit (Junior) from The Absolutely True Diary by Sherman Alexie all show that innocence is lost when compassion is found. In To Kill A Mockingbird, both Jem and Scout show innocence.

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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” (To Kill a Mockingbird 119). Lee put this into the book because she wanted the Mockingbird to represent

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The mockingbird is the dominant motif of the novel. Mockingbird is a type of songbird. Throughout the novel, the mockingbird represented the innocences. The first character to use the symbolism is Atticus, "... it's a sin to kill a mockingbird".

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Mockingbirds are an important symbol because they represent goodness and innocence. In this book, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are two innocent men, similar to mockingbirds, who get taken advantage of due to their innocence. Atticus and Miss Maudie teach Scout and Jem that it’s a sin to harm anything innocent by using the example of mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are innocent because they only positively affect people through their singing.

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