Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

“‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’” (103). Atticus gives this advice to his children, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Innocence, the lack of guile or corruption, associates with the title of To Kill a Mockingbird, for mockingbirds “‘...don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us’” (103). This novel follows the story of two children, Jem and Scout, in the fictional town of Maycomb during the 1930’s. Atticus, a lawyer, defends a black man against rape charges, exposing the children to racism and stereotyping. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, innocence depicts the main theme of the novel when Scout and Jem experience a loss of innocence when they encounter prejudice

and discover
The strongest examples of innocence from the novel involves Jem’s coming of age.

He changes socially, mentally, emotionally, and becomes more of an adult figure. One of the main events that shatters Jem’s innocence involves the court trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. Jem holds the belief that in court, justice always prevails. He believes completely that Tom Robinson will be found innocent because Atticus has been able to provide reasonable doubt; Tom could not have beaten Mayella because he has no use of his left arm. However, Tom faces an injustice due to bigotry and racism, and Jem is crushed. “...his shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between them…” (240). Not only does Jem lose his innocence after the trial, but he also grows up, Tom's death even made Jem more aware of the value of all living things, evidenced when he scolds Scout after finding her trying to mash a roly poly. “It was probably a part of the stage he was going through...” (273). Scout doesn’t quite fathom the destruction of his innocence, and describes him as “the one who was getting more like a girl everyday”

(273).
Another example of innocence in the novel involves Boo Radley, a man who has never set foot out of his house.

When Boo Radley was a teenager, he took up with a wild group of kids. After caught breaking the law, his friends were sent to a juvenile school, except for Boo. Instead, his father locks him up in his house, never to go outside for a long time. Whoever Boo might have been, destroyed at the hands of his family. False and scary rumors spread about Boo, implying that he “dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch” (14). Not only does he get destroyed of who he was, but also Boo was a man who did none of the things for which he was accused: He did not mutilate animals or eat them raw, nor did he poison pecans; instead, he attempted to befriend Jem and Scout, leaving them gifts to show his kindness. In the end, he saved their lives from the murderous hands of Bob Ewell, instantly transforming from the supposed neighborhood ghoul to neighborhood hero. Boo Radley remains an innocent and harmless man accused of crimes he did not commit, making him a

mockingbird.
A final example of innocence involves Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. Although all evidence, including no medical evidence, Tom’s crippled arm, and Bob’s abusive remarks, points to innocent, Tom is found guilty because of his skin color. Tom symbolizes a mockingbird because he “‘sings his heart out’” (103) by helping Mayella around the house, but in the end gets killed for a crime he didn’t commit. The injustice served proves that the novel goes into depth with innocence being destroyed. One more example involves Scout after the trial. On Halloween night, Scout was attacked by Bob Ewell. Scout loses the perception that all adults are kind and competent toward children. The idea that an adult would attack a child shatters some of her naivete as she learns this lesson.
In conclusion, the main theme in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird remains without a doubt innocence. Innocence, in the novel, is symbolized by mockingbirds. The mockingbirds throughout the novel are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Jem, and Scout. While the novel highlights prejudice, racism, and injustice, the novel goes into deep depth about innocence, also mentioned in the title.