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Back to category: English Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper. The Symbol of the mockingbird The Mockingbird Symbol gives the novel its name; it runs throughout the novel, creating a unifying theme, but primarily, it links the two parts of the novel (and thus the two plots). Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both “Mockingbirdsâ€, both innocent victims who mean no harm to anyone. (Consider all Boo Radley’s gestures of kindness: the ‘gifts’ in the tree; the mending of Jem’s trousers; the blanket around Scout’s shoulders –and the saving of the children’s lives. Tom Robinson wanted to help Mayella Ewell; his downfall was that he felt sorry for her.) To kill a mockingbird is seen as sinful by Atticus and Miss Maudie. Tom Robinson dies – an inhumane and mindless act, caused by a prejudiced society. Boo Radley does not die, but his killing of Bob Ewell links him again with the mockingbird symbol. To bring Boo Radley to trial would be like killing a mockingbird. The children’s ‘persecution’ of... Posted by: Garrick Christian Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper. |
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