Unveiling Innocence in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

“Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird" (119). Here Atticus is explaining that it is a sin to harm the innocent which is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee, that is set in Maycomb County, Alabama in the 1930’s. During this time period, America was facing the great depression and money was scarce. This was also a time period where African-Americans were “separate but equal” under the Jim Crow Laws. This created racial tension in Maycomb County and created a racist “disease” in the town that was referred to as “Maycomb's usual disease”. One of the main characters, Atticus, describes the idea that it is a sin to harm a mockingbird.

Atticus is portrayed as a mockingbird because he chose to actually defend Tom even though he was appointed to defend Tom. This was different because usually no one defends a black man but Atticus is a great man and decides that everyone is equal even if they are not treated that way. He states, “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal ... that institution, gentlemen, is a court” (274). This is showing that Atticus has no desire to let an innocent man be charged because he is black. This is what makes him innocent. He decides to defend a man that no one else would defend because of his race. When they are in court Atticus proves that Tom is innocent and he disgraces Bob by demonstrating that he is the real culprit. This ruins Bob’s image in the town and causes him to want to target Atticus. Bob decides to attack Atticus’s children, Jem and Scout, as they were walking home from the play. This is demonstrating that even though Atticus is innocent his children are attacked because he besmirched Mr. Ewell. Lastly, the author portrayed Boo Radley as a mockingbird due to his

Throughout the novel, Boo Radley is known to stay inside, hidden from others. This also means that he does not harm anyone throughout the novel. When Jem, Scout, and Dill went to get a look at Boo Radley, Jem got stuck on the fence and lost his pants. In the next chapter, when Jem goes back for his pants he says, “When I went back, they were folded across the fence… like they were expectin’ me”(78). He also says, “And something else— … they’d been sewed up” (78). Here it shows that Boo Radley wa helping out Jem by sewing up his pants and folding them for him. He does this even though they were trespassing on his property. This demonstrates that he is innocent and has no faults to where he should be punished. Later in the novel when Mr. Ewell attacks Jem and Scout, someone jumps in and protects them. Later in the novel they find out it was Boo Radley who protected Scout. While they are discussing what happened Mr. Tate reenacts the situation with a switchblade which he says he “took it off a drunk man”. This drunk man he is talking about is Mr. Ewell and he is trying to remove the attention from Boo Radley. This is because he want the people to believe the kitchen knife was Bob’s and he does not want them to know that Boo protected her. He does this because he never hurt anyone and he should not get all this attention if he does not want it. Boo Radley