Who Is Maycomb In To Kill A Mockingbird

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the story follows Jean Louise Finch(Scout), who is 4 years old at the beginning, grow up in the racial environment of the Southern, Maycomb, in the 1960’s. Her, as well as her brother Jem and best friend Dill, are fascinated with the neighborhood recluse named Boo(Arthur Radley) that lives around the corner and has been said to creep around during the night and look into people’s windows. Meanwhile, the rest of the town is immersed in the trial, of which Scout’s father Atticus is the defending lawyer, of Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a young woman belonging to the worst family in town. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the title isn’t just nonsense; it’s an indication

of the many mockingbirds hidden within the novel; Scout and Jem Finch are strong examples of the symbolic mockingbirds.

To clarify, characteristics that define a character as a mockingbird are bringing joy to others, doing no harm to others, innocence, and being victims of undeserved violence.

The protagonist, Scout, is an excellent mockingbird. For instance, after Scout’s first few fights over Atticus’ reputation, Scout vowed to Atticus that she would never get in a fight again. Besides the first few fights, Scout brought no harm to others throughout the entire book. In these actions, she is bringing joy to her father by respecting his wishes. Secondly, as Scout is recalling the attack made on Jem and herself, Dr. Reynolds asks everyone to clear out of Jem's room and Atticus suggests the porch to continue the conversation; Scout then announces to Boo, “come along, Mr. Arthur, you don’t know the house real well. I’ll just take you to the porch, sir.”(364) Even through being attacked, Scout still maintains enough innocence to bring joy to Boo, while escorting him through the house. Boo obviously formed a particular liking to the

children, and this one on one interaction with Scout, and her actual admiration toward Boo contributed to his utmost joy. Further evidence that Scout symbolizes a mockingbird is shown after Tom’s death, as Scout narrates, “how could this be so, I wondered, as I read Mr. Underwood’s editorial. Senseless killing- Tom had been given due process of law to the day of his death; he had been tried openly and convicted by twelve good men and true; my father had fought for him all the way. Then Mr. Underwood’s meaning became clear: Atticus used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of the men’s hearts Atticus had on case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.”(323). This is the point in the novel that the reader is opened to how much the impact of racism effects Scout's innocence; she is too naive to understand the cruelty of the prejudice against the blacks of Maycomb. When she is forced to see it, she is emotionally shattered although she has done nothing wrong. In this case, the impact of racism is one of the many acts of undeserved violence Scout has encountered. Although many characters could be argued as mockingbirds, Scout is unquestionably one intended by Lee.
Another example of a mockingbird in the novel is the protagonist's older brother, Jem.

On the way home from the trial, Scout narrates “it was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain’t right,” he muttered.”(284) Understandably Jem was upset about losing the trial; the trial was a rude awakening for Jem, as the true prejudice nature of Maycomb as a whole is shown to him. The harsh shock of the verdict was an undeserved act on Jem’s innocence; as before the trial, Jem is aware of the racism, but he was never forced to face it head on, and when this happens he couldn’t handle it. Furthermore, Jem is also portrayed as a mockingbird when the children wanted to find a new scene to act out, in the words of Jem, “I know what we are going to play," he announced. "Something new, something different. […] Boo Radley."(51) The children then acted out what they thought of the Radley’s life; and even though it was not their intent, the children’s antics provided entertainment for Boo. Although it was portraying him in a bad way, this was a great source of joy to Boo. Lastly, Jem’s mockingbird traits shined during the attack made on Scout and himself by Mr. Ewell; he didn’t do any harm to his attacker, as Officer Tate stated, “your boy never stabbed Bob Ewell, .., didn’t come near a mile of it… All he wanted was to get him and his sister safely home.”(369). Whether he meant to or not, Jem was attacked and didn’t do a

single act of harm on his attacker. And by not being able to do any harm, he gave an opening to Boo, to personally redeem himself and to save the children that brought him joy over the past few years; so in a way, he also brought joy to Boo in doing this. Jem is without a doubt, a symbolic mockingbird.
Harper Lee’s novel provides multiple examples of mockingbirds, two of which are symbolized through Scout and Jem Finch. Through their actions and experiences they either attain or retain the qualities of a mockingbird; bringing joy to others, doing no harm to others, innocence, and having been victims of undeserved violence. Overall, Lee symbolized the innocence of the story through some of the many characters involved.