To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that takes place in a small town located in Alabama during the Great Depression The book focuses on Jean Louise Scout and Jeremy Atticus Jem and their coming of age Harper Lee uses symbolism in her novel to translate her ideas the most notable symbol The mockingbird There is a common misinterpretation of the meaning behind the metaphor leading many to believe that the Finch children are meant to be perceived as the mockingbirds It is widely known that the mockingbird is meant to represent purity and innocence making many think that the children were meant to be perceived as the mockingbirds because innocence was a character trait they shared The mockingbird does not just symbolize innocence though this is a big part of the metaphor but also represents a person who was harmed by society in some way even though he or she had done no wrong Atticus Finch said after giving his children air rifles that they could shoot all the blue jays you want but to remember that it s a sin to kill a mockingbird Lee 117 To kill a mockingbird is like stripping the innocence from someone and Atticus meant by saying it s a sin Lee 117 that to harm someone who is innocent is cruel especially when no benefit is gained Harper Lee wanted Tom Robinson and Boo Radley to be portrayed as mockingbirds birds recognized for their innocence and purity yet also targeted Body Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence 1 Tom Robinson a black man convicted of rape was an example of a Mockingbird because he was targeted even though he was innocent Integrated Evidence 1 After the town of Maycomb found out about the tragic killing of Tom Robinson Mr Underwood likened Tom s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children Lee 323 in an editorial Analysis
