To kill a Mocking Bird
...anything about Boo Radley. He stayed inside of his house and remained reclusive in Maycomb County. At the end of the book, Scout finally meets Boo Radley after he helps her and Jem escape Mr. Ewell. She finds that her beliefs about him are not true. Essentially, she finds the songs that the neighbours were "putting into his mouth" were not true. Chopping wood and doing whatever he could for Mayella Ewell was Tom Robinson's only crime. Just like Boo Radley, Tom never harmed a soul. He risked his own safety by helping Mayella, and he did it because someone needed him. It was like a mockingbird being shot down when Robinson was accused of raping Mayella. To the people of Maycomb County, Tom Robinson is just a "sorry negro", who committed an unthinkable crime. Tom represents the black race in American society at that time and was a victim of racism. Like Boo Radley, Tom Robinson is characterized by what the people of Maycomb County say about him. After being accused of rape, most of the people see him as an evil beast. During the trial while Bob Ewell testifies, he points to Tom Robinson and says, "I seen that black negro yonder ruttin' on my Mayella." (p.73) According to Mr. Ewell, Tom Robinson is an animal that tormented and violated his daughter. Throughout the trial, Tom is portrayed in this manner because of the racist mentality of the people in Maycomb. Even though there is a sufficient amount of proof, which shows he did not commit the crime, Tom is a black man who will be denied justice. Atticus reinforces this idea when he tells Jem, "in our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins." (p.220) Generally, this was the mentality of most Americans at the time. Black people did not have their own song; other people sang their songs based on beliefs about them. Like Boo Radley, people only knew Tom Robinson through what others said about him. In the book, Boo Radley is a micro version of Tom Robinson. Boo is the outcast of the neighbourhood, but at the time, Tom was the outcast of the society. Throughout the trial, Scout and Jem believe in Tom Robinson's innocence. They see him for who they believe he is, and do not know enough about racism to be part of it. They did not believe the trial was fair because they believed there was evidence in Tom Robinson's favour. At the end of the book, however, Scout realizes the same about Boo Radley. When she finally meets him, she sees how unfair she had been to him. In actuality, Boo contradicts everything that the children believed about him. The fact that no one realized the unfair treatment of Tom Robinson made his death that much more tragic. Harper Lee uses the mockingbird to symbolize Tom and Boo. When Atticus tells Jem and Scout that it is a sin to kill the mockingbird, this refers to the actions directed toward Tom and Boo. It was a sin to dislike Tom and Boo based on what others say about them. The people in Maycomb punished them because they did not have their own voice. There are many people without their own voice in our society. As it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is a sin to kill those without a voice. Scout realized that it was wrong to assume evil things about Boo Radley. It was unfortunate that the people of Maycomb did not realize their unfair treatment of Tom Robinson. A mockingbird was shot and that truly was a sin. The Mockingbird has a very deep and powerful meaning in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. In general, it represents peacefulness, innocence and kindness. Characters such as Boo Radely can be compared to the mockingbird in the title of the novel. Tom Robinson can also be compared to the mockingbird. Yet, the mockingbird's influence does not end there. For it can also be applied to relationship between human beings. Thus, the Mockingbird is a powerful symbol that echoes a strong meaning throughout the book. Boo Radely, can be compared to the mockingbird in the title of the novel. It is made clear in chapter 10 when Atticus and Miss Maudie explain that you should never kill a mockingbird because all it does is sing beautiful songs and never hurts anyone. Thus, Boo Radely is like a mockingbird as he never hurts anyone and primarily keeps to himself. Yet, the title is To Kill A Mockingbird and the townsfolk "kill" Boo Radley by persecuting and ridiculing him in society simply because he is shy and does not come out of his house. Also, in the end, Scout says that it ...