To+Kill+a+Mocking+Bird+Essay

"Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." In addition to its title, this quote gives Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" its underlying theme. This novel tells the story of a southern small-town in the 1930s, stricken with racism and made up of both good and bad people. The town's best lawyer, Atticus Finch, is given the exceedingly difficult duty of defending a black man in court, and all is told through his daughter's eyes. Throughout this story, Harper Lee developed several "mockingbirds" who were "killed", or harassed, by the people of Maycomb County. These "mockingbirds" are Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape, and Arthur "Boo" Radley, a curious man victimized by the rumors and tales made up by the people of the county. There is another repetive theme in the story as well, that being that children may have a better sense of justice than adults.

Perhaps the most important "mockingbird" in the story, Tom Robinson was accused of raping the daughter of Bob Ewell, the scum of Maycomb County. Taking place in the south in the 1930s, most of the town would never take a black man's word over a white man's, regardless of how low-down and trashy they may be. Bearing this in mind, Bob Ewell accused Tom of raping Mayella Ewell in hopes of covering up the truth and eliminating the "evidence of what actually took place. This is especially evident during the court scene in the book. "...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 all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber. (p.204)" Though the Ewells were clearly guilty, the jury did exactly as Atticus had warned them not to do, judging with racism and imprisoning Tom Robinson, who is later killed trying to escape. All of this occurs in spite of the fact that he did no wrong.

Another very important character in the story is Arthur Radley, more commonly known as Boo Radley. Ironically, he is also one of the most discrete characters in the story. This is primarily because, as a teenage boy, Boo got into the "wrong crowd" and got into trouble with Maycombs ancient beadle, Mr. Conner. Though Boo's exact punishment was never openly revealed, he never left his house again for fifteen years. This was true even after his evidently strict father died, and so rumors, stories, and flat out lies were spread about his state of being. " Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained. (p.13)" Throughout much of the beginning of the story, Jem and Scout Finch and their friend Dill Harris make repeated attempt to lure Boo out of his house to prove whether or not the rumors were true. Despite this, Boo ends up leaving gifts for them in the hole of a nearby tree, and he even saves their lives by killing Bob Ewell. In the end, Scout recognizes that he had only done them good though they had done him wrong.

Finally, the second, less hidden theme of the story is that children just may have a better sense of right and wrong than adults. One of the times when this is most evident is during the scene when Scout, though unaware of it, saves Atticus by detouring the mob. "Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children...you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute. That was enough. (p.157)" Another one of these times is after the court case, when Jem is complaining that Atticus should have won and that Tom should be freed. He claims that, if he were on the jury, he would have been one of the few to vote in favor of Tom Robinson.

There are clearly several "Mockingbirds" in this story, and it seems that mostly children have sympathy for them. Both Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley are mistreated, although they do good deeds. And throughout the story, the children of Maycomb both add to this mistreatment and go against it. In the end, things work out for he just children and Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson is avenged. Despite this, things may have ended up much better if the story's "mockingbirds" were left alone, perhaps ultimately proving that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."