Reasoning Behind the Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird took the form of a novel before its adaptation into a film. This is a work that has a strong literal and metaphorical link to the title. To Kill a Mockingbird is an infinitive phrase that describes an action. The title is a phrase that communicates part of the main theme of the novel. By the time the reader has completed the novel, the reader should understand quite clearly what the consequences of killing a mockingbird in real life as well as within the context of the narrative. Mockingbirds, as the novel expounds upon, represent innocence and joy. Through various actions in the novel and as demonstrated through nearly all of the character arcs in the story, to kill a mockingbird is a solemn tragedy.
Characters such as Jem, Dill, Tom Robinson, Mr. Raymond, and Boo Radley are the people in the narrative who are most directed connected to mockingbirds. Arthur "Boo" Radley is one of the most mysterious and elusive characters in the novel. He is certainly a character that is the recipient of prejudice by nearly everyone else in the story, including background characters in the town. There are many rumors going around about the type of person Boo Radley is, but there are a rare few who actually get to know Boo. Jem and Scout are the characters that get to know Boo quite well, as Boo seeks them out, in his own way, to be friends and companions. He does not hurt others and is actually quite generous to Jem and Scout by leaving them gifts. Boo is a recluse. Boo additionally looks very strange to the townspeople. He has pale white skin and discolored, gray eyes, likely due to how much time he spends indoors. Yet the townspeople do not take these things into consideration. They only see him as different, strange, and potentially dangerous,...
Tom's innocence is diminished when is proven innocent yet charged as guilty.
In the novel mockingbirds are introduced and illustrated as symbols of innocence. These
birds are linked to innocence and to kill one is a
sin, as spoken through the character Ms. Maudie. Early on in the novel, Atticus mentions the link between mockingbirds and innocence as well. Later in Chapter 30, Scout tells Atticus that to kill Boo Radley would be akin to killing a mockingbird. Mockingbirds, according to the story, only have one purpose, which is to sing their hearts out. The only purpose for this kind of bird is to express song and the gift of
music for others. Therefore, to kill a person, such as Boo Radley, who experiences a great deal of prejudice and mistreatment in the story, is a severe and tragic act. As the
children and key adults in their lives learn, Boo Radley is a sweet and gentle person and not the
monster the town tries to make him out to be.
Tom Robinson is yet another character that is a recipient of racism and prejudice in the novel. He is one of the most prominent examples of a symbolic mockingbird whose song and innocence was unduly extinguished. The most notable portion of the story where Tom is central is his trial. Tom Robinson is a black man in rural Alabama during a period in
American history during the first Great Depression. This…
