To Kill A Mockingbird Quotes Analysis

TKAM Essay In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the mockingbird is an important metaphor and symbol. A mockingbird is a long-tailed thrush like songbird with grayish plumage, found mainly in tropical America and is noted for its mimicry of the calls and songs of other birds. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus tells Jem and Scout that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because mockingbirds don’t cause any harm. "Atticus said to Jem one day, 'I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie

I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-’.” (Lee pg.197). From this quote one can understand that Tom Robinson meant no harm and only did what he thought was right. Although he didn’t do any harm to Mayella Ewell, Tom is arrested and charged for raping and assaulting her. At his trial Tom Robinson is found guilty, even though by evidence and the defense of Atticus (Tom Robinson’s lawyer), the jury should have found Tom not guilty. Through an article in Mr. Underwood’s newspaper, Scout gets a certain revelation. Through the thoughts of Scout, Harper Lee shows this realization: "Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." (Lee pg.240). From this quote one can understand that even though evidence was given to free Tom, discrimination led to his death. Since Tom was discriminated against and accused he can be seen as a mockingbird. Just as a mockingbird, Tom meant no harm and had a good heart with good intentions. Also the way Tom Robinson was treated can be considered a sin, just like it is to kill a mockingbird. Therefore, Tom Robinson is like the

Boo Radley like Tom Robinson is a resident of Maycomb. In the beginning of To Kill a Mockingbird Jem depicts Boo as a monster. “Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. 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 pg.13). This myth that Boo is a monster is false, since the crimes of which Boo is blamed are mostly ridiculous and aren’t proven: Though he was accused of maiming animals, the one who did it was actually Crazy Addie; no one ever died from the "poisoned" pecans from the Radley tree. The unexplained items found in the knothole of the Radley oak tree were the first hints that Boo was more kindly than monstrous. Also, towards the end of the novel, Boo saves Jem and Scout and carries Jem home after he’s been injured. Through these actions one can understand that Boo Radley isn’t the monster that Jem describes in the beginning of the novel. Finally, at the end of the novel, Scout realizes that Boo Radley is not the monster everyone thought he was. This realization is shown through Scout’s summary of The Gray Ghost which Atticus reads to Scout. “An’ they chased him ‘n’ never