To Kill a Mockingbird - A Book to Learn From

Harper Lee’s To Kill and Mockingbird is an engrossing and thought provoking story of morals seen through the eyes of a young girl, who we have much to learn from. It is a wonderfully realistic work of historical fiction set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Innocence is a big theme in this book, and having the story told from a young person’s point of view is part of that, as is the title. It is a sin to hurt something that had done you no harm and is simply there for the sake of beauty. A mockingbird is an example of this, because mockingbirds don’t hurt other birds of animals, they just make beautiful music. They are innocent. The killing of a Mockingbird represents the killing of an innocent person, a victim of unnecessary violence and injustice. The story is about an innocent child growing up in a hard time

“Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.” -Atticus Finch (Ch. 10 To Kill a Mockingbird)

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." -Maudie Atkinson (Ch. 10 To Kill a Mockingbird)

The analogy of killing a Mockingbird representing the killing of an innocent person is subtle but understandable.

Scout (Jean Louise Finch) was 6 years old at the beginning of the story. Scout, her older brother Jem, and her friend Dill were obsessed with their mysterious neighbor, Arthur (Boo) Radley. They had many rumors about the Radleys, and played games involving them. They were young and curious, and it was their way of entertaining themselves. They tried to get him to come out of his house, and eventually they tried to break in and were almost caught. It was a rather silly thing to do, but they were curious and young enough that they didn’t think of that.

Later in the story, Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, and Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, defended him in court. Atticus pointed out that Mayella’s father, Robert Ewell, was probably the one who hurt her. Tom Robinson was convicted even though the evidence was in his favor. It seems the jury was racist against Tom, as he was black. Tom Robinson was innocent and no on was willing to listen. Tom Robinson was killed trying to escape jail. He was the mockingbird who got killed.

Robert Ewell attacked Scout and Jem on their way back from a school event, to get at Atticus for defending Tom Robinson in court and telling people that Robert Ewell must have been the one to hurt Mayella. They were saved by none other than Boo Radley. Scout was 9 years old at this point and Jem 13. They were young and innocent, and they were at the heart of terrible conflict. They survived, unlike Tom Robinson, but if Robert Ewell succeeded in killing them, they would have been two more Mockingbirds to be killed.

This book makes the unjust conviction of Tom Robinson and white people’s attitude towards black people more significant than they would have been coming from an older person's point of view. Scout does understand that people do discriminate against black people, but she doesn’t really understand why. In her innocence, Scout sees things from a more or less untainted point of view. No one is born with a dislike of any particular people group, but they are born with a sense of right and wrong that can either stay or get twisted by the social standards and opinions. Scout is not someone who just accepts these things and moves on because they haven’t been ingrained in her mind yet. She’s always struggling with questions and morals. Throughout the story Scout asks Atticus to explain many things she doesn’t understand, because she was young and hadn't encountered them yet.

Scout grew up over the course of the story, becoming more of a young lady, under her aunt’s teaching and example. She started to understand and accept more. The book comes full circle after the killing of Tom Robinson, the Mockingbird, when Scout and Jem are nearly killed. They would have been two more dead Mockingbirds. The point of this story is that innocent people are hurt killed sometimes, and what we have to do is keep trying to do our best. We must stand up to the injustice to try and prevent it, because by fighting it, we might someday overcome it.
“It is important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay so never quite eradicated.” -Dumbledore

By Aurora J. A. Pass