The mockingbird is often described as innocent, misunderstood and

victimized. In this compelling novel of innocents destroyed by evil, the

mockingbird comes to represent the idea of innocence, so to kill a
mockingbird is in essence to destroy innocence. Miss Maudie had stated
that: Mockingbirds dont do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They
dont eat up peoples gardens, dont nest in corncribs, they dont do one
thing but sing their hearts out for us. Thats why its a sin to kill a
mockingbird. This quote illustrates the characteristics of the Mockingbird,
an entity that is innocent and blameless, misunderstood as it is often
wrongly accused and victimized, both verbally and mentally. One such
symbolic mockingbird would be the character Boo Radley. Like a
mockingbird, Boo is innocent in the sense that he is benign, harmless and
fragile.
Boo can be likened to a mockingbird as he is an innocent, guileless and
fragile creature. Boo was misunderstood by the children as they thought of
him as a malevolent phantom in the first half of the novel, when in fact he
was a gentle soul. Due to an unfortunate incident in which he was accused
of stabbing his father with a pair of scissors, Boo was forced into isolation
by his family. Jem had stated, I think Im beginning to understand why Boo
Radleys stayed shut up in the house all this time, its because he wants to
stay inside. This showed that his life had been oppressed by his fathers
religious zeal and his family. However, Boo left gifts for the children in the
oak tree by his house and also showed his kindness by folding and leaving
Jems pants on the fence. When I went back, they were folded across the
fence like they were expectin me. quoted by Jem. Boo also draped a
towel over Scout during the fire which took place in Miss Maudies house.
Atticus had told Scout, Boo Radley. You were too busy looking at the fire
you didnt know it when he put the blanket around you. Most importantly,
Boo also saved the children from a knife attack when Mr Ewell tried to kill
them. All in all, Boo Radley is a kind, benign and harmless character, one
that had been utterly wronged by the children and society at large. In this
respect, he resembles a mockingbird through his innocence.
Boo is like a mockingbird as he is victimized by both his family and society
at large. His brother found out about the gifts that Boo had left for the
children and being the sadist that he is, he fills in the knothole with cement,
cutting Boo off from giving gifts. We see how Boo had been totally cut off
from the outside world and lived in total isolation. Even his one attempt at
human contact had been denied. This shows the similarities between him

and a mockingbird as he is an innocent destroyed by his familys sadistic

and tyrannical actions. Moreover, Boo was considered a malevolent
phantom and made the scapegoat for anything wrong that happened in the
town. The children also teased him, commenting that he is a monster and
that he was demonized by the society.
Boo Radley is like a mockingbird as he had helped the children and had a
pure heart. In this respect, he was truly innocent as Atticus expressed
thank you for my children, Arthur, as Boo had saved the lives of the
children. Boos innocence and his guileless nature was also expressed
when his hand came down on Jems hair. As Jem sleeps, Boo and
exchanged glances at Scout that indicates Boos gentleness and pureness.
Neighbours bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little
things in between. Boo was our neighbour. He gave us two soap dolls, a
broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But
neighbours give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out
of it; we had given him nothing, and it made me sad. Boo was not only a
neighbour in the literal sense, but also in the Biblical sense. At the
conclusion of the novel, we recognize Boos innocence and true spirit as he
is finally proven to be an ultimate symbol of good, and Scout learnt that
Boo had all the while been looking after them.
In conclusion, the motif of the mockingbird in the novel is one that is seen
and repeated throughout. As Scout and Jem mature, they realized that this
symbol is a universal one- it applies to both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.
We realized, sadly, that in both cases, these mockingbirds were sacrificed
for their innocence and through no fault of their own.
799 words
Nicola Lim (21)
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