To Kill A Mockingbird

It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Tom is found guilty.  The verdict is clearly foreshadowed, however, by Scout’s reaction whilst waiting for the jury to return.  She likens the atmosphere to “a cold February morning, when the mockingbirds were still.”  The reader remembers the incident of the mad dog, carefully placed before the trial in order to foreshadow later events.  The dog is an analogy for racism; it is life-threatening because it is maddened by a disease which attacks the brain.  Like prejudice.  It is only Atticus who can stand up to this danger and try to end it.  

Finally, Tom’s similarity to the mockingbird is confirmed by Mr Underwood’s editorial after his death.  (It is no coincidence that Tom was shot).  He likened it to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds”.  The sibilant sounds show his anger and his grief at the loss of an innocent life

However, there is a second ‘mockingbird’ in the novel – Boo Radley.  He, too, is the innocent victim of prejudice, so clearly Harper Lee wants the idea of the mockingbirds to be linked to the evils of prejudice.  Initially, Boo is described as “a malevolent phantom” because he has not been seen by Maycomb for at least 15 years.  He is thus a “phantom” a ghost-like figure but one who is believed to be evil.  As the novel progresses, though, he comes to the aid of Jem and Scout on a number of occasions.  He places a blanket around Scout during the fire and he mends Jem’s torn pants to try to keep him out of trouble.  In a way, he “sings out” for them.  It is noticeable that very often Lee directs our attention to the mockingbirds in the Radley tree.  In particular, on the night when Boo saves their lives, she emphasises that “a solitary mocker poured out his repertoire” in the Radley tree.  “Solitary” mimics Boo’s isolation but the song foreshadows how he will save them.  Because Bob Ewell attacks and tries to kill the children, Boo kills him but the Sheriff, Heck Tate, refuses to charge Boo, saying “that’s a sin.  It would be a sin…”  The repetition of “sin” shows the passion of his feelings but also reminds us that it’s “a sin to kill a mockingbird.”  Even Scout acknowledges that arresting Boo would be “sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird.”  Here, the mockingbird also becomes a symbol for law and justice.  Tom was unjustly found guilty and unjustly shot.  However, Boo receives justice; he killed Ewell to save the children.

In ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, Harper Lee uses the mockingbird to symbolise how innocent people can be destroyed by prejudice.  However, it can also be seen as a sign of hope; that sometimes justice is done.