The Mockingbird is a symbol for innocence as it does not harm anyone. This is exposed in the novel when
Scout is about to shoot the Mockingbird and Atticus halts him.
It is also a symbol for security and happiness. In the novel, when the mockingbird is singing everything is
okay and everyone is happy. When it is not singing it is significant. The atmosphere is tense. Two
examples of this from the novel are the rabid dog in the street (Part 1) and the court case (Part 2)
In the novel some of the characters are like mockingbirds. Tom Robinson was one of these characters as he
was an innocent figure, he didn't harm anyone and he didn't hurt Mayella. Tom Robinson also brings in the
theme of prejudice as he is black and he is treated differently to everyone else. Another character that is
like a mockingbird was Boo Radley, he was also innocent, he didn't harm anyone and he saved Scout & Jem
near the end of the novel. Boo Radley also had to be protected like a Mockingbird (because he didn't harm
anyone).
The entire title in the novel means 'To Destroy Innocence'. At the end of the novel Scout realises that Tom
Robinson is a 'Mockingbird' and she says "it'd be sort of like killing a mockingbird".
Andrew Mulholland S 4
