To Kill A Mockingbird Quote Analysis

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In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there is a metaphor that reminisces throughout the whole book about why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. I believe there is a very clear meaning behind this metaphor. A moral is shown during the story about the importance of protecting the innocent and not causing harm to those who don’t cause harm themselves. Following this, I believe the mockingbird represents innocence, purity, and vulnerability. These characteristics make me think of three main characters. To start, I believe that Tom Robinson is a prime example of what the mockingbird represents. He is a black male who was falsely accused of raping a white woman, known as Mayella Ewell. Tom was taken to court and had Atticus Finch as his defendant. Tom was eventually …show more content…

This shows his innocent kindness, like a mockingbird. Secondly, Boo Radley was a character that stuck out to me, especially after hearing the metaphor. Boo connects well with the metaphor because in Maycomb he is known as mysterious, and makes the people feel uneasy. But grows and progresses to be someone who is caring and wants to be able to help others. This is shown after Scout says “Atticus, he was real nice.” (32). Scout says this about Boo because he had saved her and Jem's life from Bob Ewell who had tried to stab them. Boo, saving them despite the town's misconceptions, shows his kind heart, like a mockingbird. Lastly, I believe Scout Finch is one of the novel's characters who connects with the metaphor. She doesn’t quite show and experience the metaphor like Boo and Tom. Scout shows her representation by learning and understanding the meaning behind the metaphor. Scout is only eight years old and by the end of the novel, he is starting to understand empathy and compassion. She shows this understanding when she says, “Well it’d sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”

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