A mockingbird is a songbird of the Americas and it is commonly known for the beautiful song notes it can produce. The two plots of the novel To Kill A Mockingbird combine to portray the theme "It's a sin to kill a mockingbird." In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson symbolize mockingbirds.
The Boo Radley plot signifies Boo's innocence. Boo symbolizes a mockingbird because of his innocence. His introduction in the novel gives him the characteristics of someone scary and mean that causes trouble. Jem, Scout, and Dill discover that this is not true. Boo left gifts in the hole in the tree for Jem and Scout. This shows the giving and kind qualities of Boo. One night, Jem ripped and lost his pants on a fence while escaping from the Radley's yard. Boo sewed the pants and laid them across the fence. Boo also places a blanket around Scout during the cool night when Miss Maudie's house burns down, both incidents show that Boo is caring.
Screenshot of To Kill a Mockingbird(an American mo...
President George W. Bush awards the Presidential M...
Film producer Alan J. Pakula with Lee; Lee spent t...The most significant event involving Boo, Scout, and Jem is when Boo saves them from Bob Ewell's attack (262). Boo risks his own life to save children who he has never met. After this, Scout learns that Boo is a figure of innocence rather than an evildoer and she tells her father that hurting Boo, "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?"(276). The Boo Radley plot was a sequence of small events that led up to one major event revealing his true self.
The Tom Robinson plot is similar to the Boo Radley plot. Tom Robinson is also symbolic because he is like a mockingbird. Tom is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Tom never rapes Mayella. He is a very respectful man.