The Mockingbird Theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

This novel by Harper Lee has a seemingly curious title to a reader who looks at it in a literal way. Someone may argue that there are no mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird but I beg to differ. An actual mockingbird may not play a large role in this story however the idea and connotation of a mockingbird becomes evident throughout the story in many characters. This is a major theme in the story and is shown through the characters Boo Radley, Mr. Raymond, and Tom Robinson all connected in the fact that they are innocent good hearted people corrupted by the evil surrounding them. Scout and Jem Finch are introduced to the novel as well as the small town of Maycomb. â€Å"There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no†¦show more content†¦She also says that most of the rumors about him are false, but that if he wasnt crazy as a boy, he probably is by now. Boo even leaves chewing gum for Scout and Jem in an Oak tree outside his house. The children one day find an Indian head penny in the same tree. Boo’s father then puts cement in the knothole where the children played the type of leaving and finding game, preventing Boo with any outside contact at all. Boo, like a mockingbird, did nothing besides entertain, whose innocent fun was destroyed by his evil father. Boo continues his good-hearted deeds putting a blanket around Scout in a later chapter and even rescuing Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell an enemy of their father. In this act of courage Boo the childhood phantom of Maycomb then becomes Boo the human being, no longer s hrouded by the evil rumors and away from his evil father. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a peculiar character who lives on the outskirts of Maycomb County with his black wife and mulatto children. In chapter 20 during the trial of Tom Robinson he sits with Scout and Dill.Mr Raymond offers him a drink in a paper bag. Dill drinks it and tells Scout that the drink isnt alcoholic its only Coca-Cola. Mr. Raymond tells the children that he only pretends to be a drunk to provide the white people with an explanation for his lifestyle, when, in fact, he simply prefers black people to whites. This may seem an insufficient reason but that is however also the white people of Maycomb’s explanation asShow MoreRelatedThemes Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee939 Words   |  4 PagesSharon Yin Mrs. Reynolds English 9H 8 March 2015 Themes Foreshadowed in the First Chapter The first pages of a novel often introduce the major topics of the work, which is exactly what author Harper Lee did. The first chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird creates a basis and foreshadows the major themes that play out during the rest of the novel; themes such as prejudice, childhood and growing up, small town southern life, and bravery. One of the most crucial motifs in this novel is prejudice. 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