To Kill A Mocking Bird Boo

Radley And Tom Robinson Essay, Research Paper

In Harper Lee s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Miss Maudie said that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mrs. Maudie defines what mockingbirds are by saying that they don t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don t eat up people s gardens, don t nest in corncribs, they don t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” (90). Tom Robinson and Arthur Boo Radley are the two mockingbirds in the novel because they were people that never harmed anyone.

Tom Robinson was a helpful, caring person. He helped Mayella with many things. In the novel, Atticus asked Mr. Robinson if he was paid for his services. No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn t seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun, and I knowed she didn t have no nickels to spare. (191). This quote shows Tom understood the situation Mayella was in, so he did what he could to help her out. Link Deas testified that Tom Robinson had worked for him for eight years and had never had any trouble by him. Tom was a hard worker that never caused anyone any trouble. During the trial, Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor, asked Tom why he was willing to do Mayella s chores. Mr. Robinson told Mr. Gilmer that it looked like Mayella did not have anyone to help her. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more n the rest of em- (197). This quotation demonstrates Tom s sincerity. He truly cares about others. Maycomb s residents misjudged Tom because of his skin color, but if they actually knew him, they would know that he is a respectable, nice guy. Tom Robinson was a good man that was considerate of others and never harmed a soul.

Although Arthur Boo Radley appears only once in the novel, he plays a significant role as a mockingbird. In the beginning of the novel, Scout and Jem thought of Boo as a scary man. Jem described Boo as

six-and-a-half feet tall There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time. Jem s description of Boo shows that he and others had no concept of who he really is. Things were made up about Boo because he never came out of his house and no one really knew him. Boo never came out because he probably did not want to have to face the people of Maycomb that would not accept him because of the stories told about him. On the contrary, Boo is the person who put a blanket around Scout and Jem when it was cold outside when Miss Maudie s house burned down. Boo was the one that put gum and other objects in a tree for Scout and Jem. Boo also sewed up Jem s pants that tore and neatly folded them over the fence. Eventually, Boo even saved Jem and Scout s lives. All of this demonstrates that Boo was watching out for them all along. He never tried to harm anyone. He only wanted to help them. After Heck Tate and Atticus decide that it is better to withhold the fact that Boo killed Bob Ewell, Scout says, “Well, it d be sort of like shootin a mockingbird, wouldn t it?” (276). What Scout is saying is that if mockingbirds do not harm anyone, then telling on Boo Radley would be “like killing a mockingbird.” Arthur Radley never intended to harm anyone; he simply wanted to help.

Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson are the two mocking birds in Harper Lee s novel. The people of Maycomb misjudge and misunderstand Boo Radley and Tom Robinson because they are different and people do not know them for who they truly are. They are treated unfairly. When Scout returns from the Radley house at the end of the novel, she tells Atticus that, “He (Boo) was real nice” (281). Atticus replies, “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” If the attitudes of the people of Maycomb were like Atticus s there would not be so many injustices in this novel.