Essay --

There is an old saying that claims that it is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one. While many choose to follow unjust traditions, others choose to pursue the path of justice. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence that should never be killed; It is harmless and provides a song for the enjoyment of others. Furthermore, three characters from the novel are considered symbolic mockingbirds. Boo Radley, not convicted of any real charges, has fallen into a trap of rumors that have gone around the town. Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman with no substantial evidence proving him guilty. He is shot down while trying to escape prison. Lastly, Scout, the narrator of the book, is an innocent five-year-old girl. As the novel progresses, she starts to witness racial prejudice; which is something that no minor should come in contact with during her childhood. By exposing their innocent natures, we see how Boo, Tom Robinson and Scout are the mockingbirds in this novel. In reality, Boo has done nothing wrong. His confinement began when he, along with some other people, had played a prank and gotten into some trouble with the law. Later in his life, a rumor is spread that he had stabbed his father with scissors. Forced to stay in the house for his behavior, Boo becomes the center of gossip and rumors that spread throughout the town. He did not do did any of the things of which he was accused; instead, all he wanted to accomplish was to befriend Jem and Scout. He left them gifts in the oak tree. Scout complains to Jem, â€Å"I’ve been chewin’ it all afternoon and I ain’t dead yet, not even sick† (45). Jem is completely astonished when he discovers that Scout took the ... ... newspaper editor, despises negroes yet supports Tom Robinson: â€Å"Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (323). Even though it is obvious that Mr. Underwood does not like negroes, he writes about the injustice done upon Tom Robinson. Similar to killing a mockingbird, Tom is killed for a crime he had never committed and harm that he had never brought. Scout is one of the most innocent people in this book. During the course of this book, she goes through events and experiences, that no child should ever witness at a young age. On one hand, her father Atticus, is trying to teach her to live moral life and make the right decisions. On the other hand however, she is open to influences of a town filled with racism and prejudice.