ipl-logo

What Does Tom Robinson Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

426 Words2 Pages

Someone once wrote, “There’s a story behind every person. There’s a reason why they’re the way they are. Think about that before you judge someone”. Everyday people are judged for how they look, speak, and even how they act just because the people who say those things do not know why they are like that. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are judged before they are known. Mockingbirds symbolize the goodness, innocence, and beauty in people. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are considered mockingbirds since they have done nothing wrong and are innocent but are either metaphorically or literally killed. To start off, Tom Robinson is a mockingbird because he did nothing wrong to Miss Mayella Ewell and was convicted of …show more content…

During the trial, Tom Robinson states that he was helping Miss Mayella with her chores because when he passed by she would ask him to help. For instance, “‘She’d call me in, suh. Seemed like every time I passed by yonder she’d have some little somethin’ for me to do…’” (Lee 256). In other words, Mayella Ewell would call Tom Robinson in her gates on a daily basis for him to do her chores. Mr. Robinson would always do favors for her. However, never once did he receive a cent from his work because he declined Miss Mayella’s offer of paying him a nickel. This shows the goodness in him and how he truly cared for people. Another example that shows how Tom was generous and kind-hearted is that he often helped Mayella since he presumes that Mr. Ewell was not helping her at all. Mr. Robinson is a kind man yet he was always treated poorly due to his skin colour. The one thing Tom said on trial that convinced the jury he is guilty is saying how he has remorse for

Show More
Related
589 Words | 3 Pages

Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both symbolized by the mocking bird. Boo Radley is symbolized by the mockingbird. He is a sweet, gentle, innocent man. He looks out for the children, and leaves gifts for them. Boo left gifts inside the tree outside of his house for them to find and keep.

Read More
542 Words | 3 Pages

However, Tom was still found guilty of the crime and was sent to prison. Even with evidence pointing away from Tom, racism still ran through the jury´s blood, which lead them to still accusing Tom of a false crime.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

After all the work he did for her he never accepted any pay because Tom said she could not afford to pay him. Also, Tom never went on to the Ewell property without invitation so he was not a law breaking person, like the citizens of Maycomb made him out to be. Tom Robinson is like a mockingbird because of what he did for Mayella and how he did it out of the goodness of his

Read More
776 Words | 4 Pages

“ ​Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat uppeople’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). Tom Robinson, a minor yet importantcharacter, is indirectly described as a mockingbird throughout the whole book, since he waskilled for entertainment purposes and not because of the crime he was guilty of, when he wastruly innocent. He did not do one thing but be honest, but his skin color made the people thinkotherwise (Gladwell).

Read More
368 Words | 2 Pages

A Mockingbird is a powerful symbol of goodness. A mockingbird is a type of bird that mimics other types of birds songs and sings beautiful songs that are peaceful, the mockingbird is a peaceful animal that doesn't cause harm or trouble and is not to be harmed, because it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, thus killing a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird the two characters that are most related to being a mockingbird would be Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Tom Robinson is a innocent negro accused of raping Mayella Ewell towards the end of the book, we don't see much of Tom until he is accused of rape. Tom was declared guilty and sentenced to jail, although the real problem about the case is that Tom Robinson

Read More
210 Words | 1 Pages

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. ”This quote goes best with Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a black man who works in the field every day. This is the exact stereotype of “Black people” in that time. The quote meaning for Tom is that he has a very stereotypical life.

Read More
868 Words | 4 Pages

Judging in To KIll A Mockingbird “The black man did it” she said. “Typical”, he said in response. Humans tend to judge others for many reasons. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, it shows a great theme of judging and that you don't really know a person until you have walked around in their shoes.

Read More
214 Words | 1 Pages

In to Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the symbol of a mockingbird to represent innocence and people who only serve as a benefit, or at the very least have little to no negative effect on our society. Just as mockingbirds only exist to make music in the context of their affect on us, the characters in the story that are “mockingbirds” (Scout, Tom Robinson, Boo Radley) do not exist in the societal structure of Maycomb to any negative extent. Boo has almost no actual place in the societal structure of Maycomb, aside from being an urban legend, but still holds the symbolism of a mockingbird as he poses no real threat to anyone but he was still ostracized and stigmatized for no good reason. Scout is a mockingbird due to her obliviousness of

Read More
448 Words | 2 Pages

Evidence of this was when the narrator said “Tom Robinson was probably the only person ever decent to her” (219). Mayella was hated by almost everyone, so when Tom Robinson was helping her she had wanted to be with him. This is proof that the actions of people can have a negative effect on others because shortly after Mayella had screamed very loudly, which had led to her father charging Tom with raping his daughter even though evidentially he didn’t do/try anything with/to her. He was wrongly accused of raping her just because he’s a black

Read More
1068 Words | 5 Pages

It has been said that the average person lies 10 to 200 times a day. This is why it is almost impossible to tell the truth from a lie, especially if the person is a stranger. The attitude from characters towards strangers presented in Moon of the Crusted Snow and Bird Box emphasizes how in times of despair, the way in which newcomers are treated and unfamiliar situations are addressed is altered. Feelings and emotions cloud judgment, leaving people more susceptible to lies and deception. Furthermore, when people are put face to face with stressful situations, they are more likely to make impulsive decisions to gain back power, respect, security and stability.

Read More
1915 Words | 8 Pages

I can prove this by quoting, "When they shoot Tom Robinson , while lost in his unavailing effort to scale the wall in quest, Mr. Underwood, the editor of The Montgomery Advertiser, likened Tom 's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children '(Dave 50). This quote explains how Tom Robinson is an example of a Mockingbird. Another example of how Tom Robinson is a symbol of a mockingbird is stated here, "There 's a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it is dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch. Let the dead bury the dead"(Lee 369).

Read More
986 Words | 4 Pages

Innocence, goodness, and beauty... all things that symbolize a Mockingbird, but sometimes it’s not always the obvious Mockingbirds that are “killed”. In the hit novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Lee exposes many characters who undergo segregation, depreciation, lack of wealth, and most importantly abuse within the small community of Macomb, Alabama. Two main characters Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are symbols of Mockingbirds, who represent innocence, goodness, and beauty and in the end suffer or are said to be, “The killed Mockingbirds”. However; these are not the only characters who are considered Mockingbirds. Scout Finch and Mayella Ewell are also considered Mockingbirds because of the suffering they undergo and most importantly

Read More
187 Words | 1 Pages

A midsummer night’s dream was a play written by William Shakespeare between 1590 and 1597. William Shakespeare was born on the 26th of April 1564 and died on the 23rd of April 1616. Shakespeare has written around 38 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 long narrative poems. He started off writing mostly histories and comedies and moved on to tragedies towards the end of his life. A midsummer night’s dream was one of his early comedies.

Read More
1144 Words | 5 Pages

Miss Maudie explains to young Scout Finch that, "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." Miss Maudie's definition of a mockingbird and her vindication on why it is a sin fits perfectly with the character of Tom Robinson, especially in his situation with Mayella. " Tom Robinson was the only person who was ever decent to [Mayella].

Read More
1730 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More

More about What Does Tom Robinson Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

Related Topics

Open Document