Theme Of Rumors In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird - RQA Essay

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be looked down upon by your entire town, no matter what you do, just because of rumors?

In “To Kill A Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, Lee uses a quote saying “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” (Lee 94). Mockingbirds are portrayed as very delicate and innocent within this book, just as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.

Within the beginning of the book, Boo Radley had a bad perception within the town of Maycomb due to abrupt rumors. For example, one of these rumors displayed in the first chapter creates a very violent image

of Boo. “As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parents leg, pulled out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed to his activities” (Lee 15).

But Boo tends to be a misunderstood character, just like the mockingbird. In chapter 28, when Jem and Scout were walking back home from school, they took the shortcut which happened to be pitch black. Jem heard a sound which alerted them. At first Jem thought it was Cecil Jacobs (a boy who liked to pull jokes on Jem and Scout), but then they realized it was someone else. They heard footsteps running after them to find that it was a grown man. Jem called out to Scout to run but she fell due to her costume.When Scout finally got back up to find Jem, the man squeezed her until she could barely breathe. Worriedly, Scout called out for Jem but didn’t get a response. She saw two men underneath the tree besides Jem and herself. She called out “Atticus?” but there was no answer once again. She noticed a man laying the ground that had the awful essence of booze, she got up and made her way over the road, and within the light of the street lamp Scout sees a man carrying Jem. The man headed towards the Finch house, where Atticus let him in. Scout eventually realized that “the man” was no other than Mr. Arthur or commonly referred to as Boo Radley. Mr. Arthur, despite his poor perception of

himself, found the courage to defend Jem in his battle between Bob Ewell, and to bring him home safely. While Jem was “tangling” with Mr. Ewell, somebody stabbed him with a knife. Atticus thought it was Jem in an act of self defense when in reality it turned out to be Boo saving Jem’s life. Heck Tate realized this as well and told Atticus that he would not be pressing charges against anyone, for stabbing Bob Ewell. It is obvious that Boo was the one who did indeed stab Bob Ewell, although Atticus at first mistakenly thought it was Jem. When Heck Tate left the house, Atticus told Scout that Bob Ewell simply fell on his knife, and she replied with, "Yes, sir, I understand.. Mr. Tate was right." Atticus was slightly confused with her response and asked her what she meant. She replied with, "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it? (Lee 279)" Scout not only with this quote is saying that Boo Radley is not guilty of stabbing Bob Ewell but his overall nature is innocent, just as the mockingbird. Another example of his innocence would be when Scout and Jem walked past the tree everyday and there were gifts left there for them everyday.“Our biggest prize appeared four days later . It was a pocket watch that wouldn't run, on a chain with an aluminium knife” (Lee 65). This relates back to his perception of being viewed as a bad figure. Everyone has a negative image of Boo Radley when nobody knows him, but this kind act of generosity by leaving these items for Jem and Scout, not only prove innocence but that Boo as a heart and cares for them as well.

With that being said, when Atticus made his final remarks during the trial, he exclaimed, “Confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption--- the evil assumption--- that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber” (Lee 207).

This quote encompasses the idea that even though Tom Robinson was proved to be an innocent man by Atticus, he was still considered a “bad guy” due to the color of his skin. Back in the 1930’s, caucasian people were always viewed as the more valued race. Despite if a colored person convicted a crime or not, it was always going to be a caucasian’s word over a colored person. This was why Mayella had an advantage over innocent Tom Robinson. Also due to the fact of Tom Robinson being colored, when he was proven guilty by the jury and hauled to the jail, the guards shot him for trying to escape. When Atticus found this out, he disappointedly said, “Seventeen bullets in him. They didn’t have to shoot him that much” (Lee 238) . This strongly withheld the idea that if a white man were to get placed in jail, they most likely would not get shot seventeen times, despite their crime. But when Tom Robinson went to escape for something he didn’t do, he paid the price of death. Even though many people may be innocent, just as the mockingbird, it tends not to be viewed by all, which creates a great conflict that

nobody should experience.
Overall within “To Kill A Mockingbird”, the idea of the Mockingbird represents innocence which both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson both encompass, not only through their actions but their words as well. Tom being a colored man and Boo being a misunderstood figure