“‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. . . That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’” (119), Miss Maudie explains to the Finch kids. The mockingbird is a metaphor for a kindhearted character who does no harm. A mockingbird could also be a character who is not involved with a situation but gets hurt by it nonetheless. Harper Lee’s historical fiction classic To Kill A Mockingbird tells the story of a young girl growing up in Segregation-Era Alabama. At the same time, the trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman is occurring. In the novel, the metaphor of mockingbirds is used throughout the text, manifesting both in conversation as well as playing …show more content…
First, Tom Robinson is a kindhearted individual. While the prosecutor, Mr. Gilmer, questions him, he explains that he, “‘Tried to help her [Mayella]. . .not for one penny. . . I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-’” (264), demonstrating his good nature. Even though he was returning home from a long day of work Tom Robinson took time out of his own day to shed a little kindness into the life of Mayella Ewell, by doing chores such as breaking down the chiffarobe. He does this to help her out with no harm in return. Next, Tom Robinson is found guilty for the rape of Mayella Ewell, despite glaring evidence. As seen in the trial, testimonies from the other side switch over and over. For example, Heck Tate changes his testimony on Mayella’s black eye. Mayella Ewell also hesitates while answering Atticus’s questions about how her father treats her, again later when …show more content…
First, he is mocked at school and around town by kids because their father, Atticus Finch, is defending Tom Robinson. Even adults mistreat him, such as Mrs. Dubose, who says during her routine attack, “‘Yes indeed, what has this world come to when a Finch goes against his raising. . .Your father’s no better than the. . .trash he works for” (135)! Although this nastiness is the usual for Mrs. Dubose, this is out of the ordinary for her; she will say things about Scout and Jem, but never about Atticus. Jem usually minds his own business, as Atticus tells him to do, but now Jem is being targeted for something he is impotent to, making him a mockingbird. Next, he loses his innocence about the world from the trial, believing that Tom will be treated fairly, and Atticus will ‘save the day’. When he learns the verdict of the jury, Jem is indignant at the actions of the court. He always believed that the court was a place of fair trial and was sure that the case would end in Tom’s favor; even whispering,” ‘We’ve got him” (238) when Mr. Ewell testifies. But when Tom is found guilty, Jem realizes something about Maycomb and the world, later confessing to Miss Maudie that, “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is. . .Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up
Tom Robinson is a kind black man whom Atticus is defending against the charge that he raped Mayella Ewell. Atticus knows that he will lose because Tom is black, but he also knows that Tom is innocent and that he has to defend him. Tom Robinson is portrayed as a hard-working father and husband in the novel and he was only attempting to help Mayella since no one else would, but she made advances that he refused and her father saw them. On the witness stand, he testifies that he helped her because, "'Mr. Ewell didn't seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun.'" (256). Even though Tom helps Mayella out of kindness and pity, Mayella is trapped and must accuse him of raping her to save her own life. Shortly after being wrongfully convicted
The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee gives insight to society's prejudice against age, gender and especially race and how it impacts communities and individuals in a destructive way. Lee establishes how women did not have the same rights as men when she writes, ""For one thing, Miss Maudie can't serve on a jury because she is a woman-" "You mean women in Alabama can't-?" I was indignant." The use of aposiopesis is effective in conveying how shocked Scout felt after hearing this discriminating rule. The hyphen also displays the way Scout precipitously interrupted Atticus in disbelief. This reveals how Scout knew if Miss Maudie could be on the jury, Tom might have been ruled fairly. It proves that gender prejudice made the difference
Mockingbirds symbolically represent innocent, defenceless individuals, who bring nothing but joy to the world. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Arthur Radley, Tom Robinson and Dolphus Raymond are all symbols of the mockingbird. Many people in Maycomb see these people as mean and cruel but in reality they “don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.”
Jeremy Atticus Finch (aka Jem) from To Kill a Mockingbird is viewed as a “regular” kid who is immature and innocent to the “real world”. Since Jem is still young, he has not gone out on his own in the world and had to fend for himself. He has not seen the “real world,” therefore Jem does not understand that life is not always fair. This view of the world is clouded by his innocents. Jem, although going through the death of his mother, does not completely understand how life can be. Jem’s eyes finally start to open up to the true, harsh world after witnessing the verdict of “guilty” in the Tom Robinson court case. In seeing this injustice, Jem begins to mature more, his innocents starts slipping away, revealing how to world is.
Mockingbirds do no harm to anything they just sing. The two characters in this book that represents this symbol is Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. Tom Robinson is a “mockingbird” because he is wrongfully accused of raping a white girl. Through the prejudice of the people in Macomb he later convicted and killed, even when he never did anything to Mayella Ewell. Boo Radley is also another great example of a “mockingbird” because no accepts him throughout the town which forces him to hide in his home. He had rumors spread about him how that he was a bad guy. But he was nothing but kind to the children and even saved their lives (Dave).
Having grown up in the home of a lawyer, Jem understands the ways of the courtroom and recognizes Atticus’ behavior in court. When Tom Robinson is put on trial for being accused of raping Mayella Ewell, Atticus is appointed his attorney. As questioning continues, Atticus blatantly proves it was impossible for Tom to even commit the crime. Jem says to Reverend Sykes, "...don't fret, we've won it....Don't see how any jury could convict on what we heard" (Lee 279). Jem’s response to Reverend Sykes comment
In the beginning, Jem was a boy who thought that everyone in the world was truthful and honest; however, this aspiration was brought to an end when he witnesses an innocent man found guilty by a court jury. Jem was certain that Tom would be proven innocent due to lack of genuine evidence against him. Even though Jem didn't know the people of the jury, he had faith that they would naturally do the right thing. “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like” (Lee 246). This event opened Jem’s eyes as he began to see not only his town, but the human race in a different way. In addition, Tom Robinson being wrongly accused of rape continued to eat away at Jem. When Scout approached Jem later on in the novel and commented on the case, he was irate and shouted at her to never bring it up again. Scout couldn’t seem to understand why Jem acted so agitated. Jem was older, and his entire view of the world was completely shattered. Scout was younger, and even though she understood that what happened to Tom was wrong, her world and point of view wasn’t turned upside down. Not only did Jem grow agitated when someone brought the trial up, he also attempted to forget the outcome by pushing it to the back of his thoughts. Jem’s innocent perspective on his home was
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (p.90) Miss. Maudie, one of the main protagonists in To Kill a Mockingbird, warns the young girl Scout that mockingbirds should not to be killed or hunted down because they represent those who are kind and innocent. So, on a broader spectrum, the term “to kill a mockingbird” symbolizes cruel and improper behavior towards people with good hearts and intentions. In the town of Maycomb, unethical behaviors, such as prejudice and gossip, are most commonly used against the “mockingbirds”. Three of those “mockingbirds” that are featured in this novel are Arthur “Boo” Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch. Due to the depiction of the mockingbird symbol in the novel, the reader understands the consequences that immoral attitudes have towards those who are innocent and kindhearted.
verdict of the trial, Jem and Scout see the hate in jurors for blacks, for it is obvious that Tom Robinson is innocent. Another new and disturbing element that Jem and Scout discover is child abuse. Having never been hit by Atticus, the children know nothing of physical, mental, emotional, or sexual abuse. However, Mayella Ewell knows too well of these abuses and is a victim of them from her own father. Bob Ewell shows he has no consideration for her by his actions or words, and this is clearly displayed during the trial when he is being asked on the stand, "Are you the father of Mayella Ewell?" (172) His crude reply is, "Well, if I ain’t I can’t do nothing about it now"(172). This shows he has no class or respect, while on the other hand, Jem and Scout are used to seeing the example of their tactful father. Also, during the trial it becomes lucid that Bob Ewell beat Mayella up and not Tom Robinson.
Maudie Atkinson is a familiar name to anyone who has read the classic of modern American literature, To Kill a Mockingbird. She is remembered from the novel, as the open-minded, garden-loving, supporting character that lives across the street from the Finch family, in which the youngest member of the household, Scout Finch is the narrator and protagonist of the story. Maudie Atkinson is simply known as Miss Maudie throughout most of the book. She is a larger part of the story than from what we saw in the book. In chapter 5, where she is described the most, it is mentioned by Scout that Miss Maudie had known the Finch family for quite some time, seeing as they grew up together as children and were quite close in age.
In this world, everyone has an equal right; however, many people are getting falsely accused of acts they did not commit even though they are innocent. Mockingbirds, one of the most innocent birds, sing their heart out for people to enjoy, however, they getting killed every day. In this novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many racial prejudices going on. Finches stand near the top of the social hierarchy, with Cunningham and Ewells underneath. Black community in Maycomb is even below the Ewells, even if they were a hard worker; they were not treated equally. The “mockingbirds” represents the idea of innocence, so killing a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Throughout the book, many characters are considered a mockingbird. Three examples are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Those three characters are innocent; they are kind and were never harmful to others. However, they were destroyed through contact of evil. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the mockingbirds symbolizes the idea of innocence, and Tom, Boo, and Mr. Raymond are considered one of it.
Do Bystanders have a responsibility to intervene in crimes? This is a question we tend to ask ourselves very often. In the texts To Kill a Mockingbird and “Stand Up”, one can see the dangers of intervening in crimes. Bystanders are innocent and shouldn't risk their own lives for someone they don't even know. Being a bystander doesn't make you guilty, because it's your choice weather to help and stick up for someone or not.
Frances O'Grady, the first woman to be General Secretary of the Trades Union of the UK once said "You just wish sometimes that people would treat you like a human being rather than seeing your gender first and who you are second." To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was about how evil human behavior can change people for the worse in many different cases for example Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Both were hurt by the evil doings of others around them. Boo by his own father and Tom by the Ewells and their supporters. Scout and Jem's father Atticus was a young black man named Tom Robinson's lawyer in the trial after he was falsely accused by the Ewells who said the he raped 19 year old Mayella Ewell. Sadly he was charged with rape and sentenced
What does the flowers symbolize in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee? There are several different flowers that symbolize different things. For instance, the characters all have different personalities. There are many different characters, for example, Miss Maudie symbolizes pink azaleas, Mrs. Dubose symbolizes white camellias, and Mayella Ewell symbolizes red geraniums.
He simply tries to help the young girl do things, such as cut and carry wood, but he is slammed with the charge of raping and beating her. On the other hand we have Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, who is nothing but evil. Bob is actually guilty, but no one ever tries to point that out. It never even says it straight forward in the book, but there is clearly enough evidence to show Mr. Ewell was the guilty one. “Robinson made the mistake of saying he felt sorry for a white person — Mayella” (Gandy). Tom has sympathy for Mayella because he also knows her father was the guilty one. Tom showing sympathy is just another good characteristic of his personality. At the end of the novel, the evil is really shown when Mr. Ewell attacks Atticus’s children, Scout and Jem. Bob Ewell is killed by Boo Radley that night or one could say he “fell on his knife.” Tom is also killed for trying to escape from jail – he is shot by the guards. Not only does a good, innocent man get killed in the novel for no reason at all, but the evil one gets his justice as