How Is Tom Portrayed In To Kill A Mockingbird

Innocent Mockingbirds WantedA harmless mockingbird is flying in the air while singing a tune. As the bird hums its lovely music it is shot. Why was the bird shot? Like characters in To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird was viewed as dangerous. The only way people knew how to deal with problems was by “shooting them down.” The innocence of killing a mockingbird is shown by three characters in the book: Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley. Their traits and actions shown throughout To Kill a Mockingbird help symbolize the mockingbird. Even though they all resemble mockingbirds in the novel, they all symbolize the bird in their own unique way. Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley all symbolize mockingbirds because of their traits, …show more content…
During the 1930s, racism was a major problem which led to the mistreatment of African Americans. Tom and the rest of his race were called names and labeled as ‘Monsters.” Mockingbirds are misjudged and shot because people just assume that the bird is harmful. Tom and his skin tone represent this situation because from the outside Tom supposedly looked dangerous, but on the inside he was innocent. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom is “seen” as raping Mr. Ewell’s daughter Mayella. In reality, Mr. Ewell abused Mayella, but he knew if he said Tom hit Mayella that it would be believable because of Tom’s skin color. When Bob Ewell says, “I seen that black nigger younder ruttin’ on my Mayella,” it explains that people knew Tom’s skin color and assumed that he was up to no good and that he was dangerous (Lee 173). Even when Tom tried to explain himself at court, everyone believed Mayella’s false story about Tom hitting her (Marshall). No one took Tom seriously in court; the jury already had their mind made up even before the actual court date. Tom was wrapped up in evil and was misjudged harshly by his skin color and was “shot down” like a mockingbird by racism. Tom’s skin color defined him; Caucasians could not get past the fact that he was supposedly “different” from them. Later in the book, Tom’s race is the major reason he is shot or “killed like a mockingbird” by a police …show more content…
Boo is misread because of his teenage actions that were years ago. Maybe Boo did some questionable things in the past, but everyone has actions that frowned upon. Macomb is a very judgmental town and Boo has been labeled as a threat to society. Rumors are spread around about Boo which symbolizes the innocence killed by society (Marshall 1). Mockingbirds are innocent creatures, but because of the rumors about them, people tend to kill them because they find them as a threat. Similar to the bird, Boo is misjudged by people who do not know the truth. Boo is innocent and like a mockingbird, he does not want that to be ruined so he stays inside because it is the only way to have that sort of feeling. Later in the book, Jem tells Scout that he thinks that Boo stays in his house because Boo knows that if he was to be seen in public he would be judged by Maycomb citizens (Lee 227). Like a mockingbird, Boo’s innocence has been crushed by society. People are too scared to accept what is right so they keep lying to themselves to feel better. As seen as a innocent, loving mockingbird by readers, Boo is misjudged and people are scared that he will harm them which symbolizes that innocent is crushed when you “kill a mockingbird.” Another way Boo resembles a mockingbird is by the way he “sings his tune” by giving the kids of Maycomb gifts showing his joyful