Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

A mockingbird is someone who is existant for peace and help, not harming others.A mockingbir represents innocence, so when someone is considered a mockingbird, they’re innocence is noticeable in the story. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the south during the Great Depression, when racism was a problem. In the story people are judged by their reputation when the truth is the complete opposite. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are considered mockingbirds because they show how innocent people are judged by their reputation, and teach to not judge a book by its cover.

Tom Robinson is judged by his race and reputation, an is said to be guilty when evidence says otherwise. In the story during the

trial in Atticus’s closing speech he addresses the jury about making the right decision, not saying hes guilty because of his race.

In his speech he says, “I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system--- that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence that you have heard, come to a decision and restore the defendent to has family. In the name of God, do your duty.” (Lee 274 275). Atticus is addressing the jury because he knows Tom is innocent, and the jury knows he is innocent. Tom was really helping Mayella until Bob Ewell came home yelling. Tom is judged by his race and was guilty according to the jury. He is a mockingbird because he was there to help her, not harm her. He helped her all the time without harming her. Later in the story, after being sent to prison, Tom was shot and killed by guards. According to them he was trying to escape prison. The town talked about it for two days. In the story Lee says, “To Maycomb, Tom’s death was typical. Typical of a nigger to cut and run. Typical of a nigger’s mentality to have no plan, no

thought for the future, just run blind first chance he saw.” (Lee 322). When Lee said this she proved just how much racism affected the way people looked at and thought of someone. The guards literally killed a big mockingbirdd in the story. Tom was innocent, but had already given up when he said “Good-bye, Mr. Finch, there ain’t nothin’ you can do now, so there ain’t no use tryin’.” (Lee 314). This shows how hard all of this was on him. Tom was there to help, not harm that night, and due to racism that caused him his life. The town was like that because that’s the society they were born into, and the only way they know.
Another mockingbird is Boo Radley.

Boo is judged by created by the town which was the opposite of the truth. After saving the kids from Bob Ewell, Boo stays over with Jem and Scout for a little bit. When leaving he asks Scout to walk him home and holds her hand the whole way. When he goes inside Scout says, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes ans walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley was enough.” (Lee 374). When Scout says this she realizes not to judge a book by its cover, or in this case, someone by their reputation. Boo was considered a mockingbird because he stayed in his house all of the time, didn’t cause harm, and minded his own business. When he came out that night, Scout and Jem killed the Mockingbird by changing his life. A little while later while Scout is still on the porch she looks around at the town from Boo’s perspective when she says, “I turned to go home. Street lights winked down the street all the way to town. I had never seen our neighborhood from this angle.” (Lee 373). Scout learns that when you see things from a different perspective or angle nothing is how it seems. Unless you know what someone sees you can’t judge. When she gets home she tells Atticus how different he is from what she thought and that he was actually nice, when Atticus says, “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” (Lee 376). She now sees him as a person and not the rumors she’s heard. Not only is Boo a

mockingbird, but he’s a living example in the book of how different perspectives show how different things really are.
Tom Robinson and Boo Radley show how innocent people are judged by their reputation, and are considered mocking birds, and teach to not judge a book by its cover, in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Boo Radley is a mockingbird in the story because he doesn’t leave his house and minds his own business, and when he does leave his house it changes his life causing the mockingbird in him to die. Tom Robinson is considered a mockingbird because he was there to help Mayella that night, not harm, but still went to prison causing his death, making the mockingbird in him to die as well. Tom and Boo represented mockingbirds in this story because the innocence in them was then, which killed the mockingbird hat they represented.