Atticus tells the children that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Consider the range of characters that are guilty of this sin. Why are their actions viewed from the perspective of children?
Mayella Violet Ewell is guilty of tempting a respectable Negro man and trying to kill a mockingbird. She is committing a deadly crime: ‘she did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man’ Atticus explains. But when her father Bob Ewell sees this felony he hollers: ‘I’ll kill ya’ you god damn whore’, it is unclear who he directs this to but he later argues it to be focussed at Tom Robinson. The children, especially Scout, have already judged the Ewell’s: ‘The boy stood up. He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark grey, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his finger nails were black deep into the quick.’ This is Scout’s description of Burris Ewell, Mayella’s brother.
