Mockingbird Motif

The mockingbird motif is that it is very wrong to kill the innocent. The mockingbird itself is a simple naive song bird and so are Jem and Scout. the motif emphasizes many themes including loss of innocence or growing up. Scout is innocent and doesn't understand why people can be so cruel and unjust. This happens especially with the Tom Robinson case. Tom Robinson is innocent because he did not at all commit the crime and even Scout knows that, but he is still convicted and sentenced to death. Jem is very upset about it and can not see why anybody would do that to an innocent person. In this way, he is an slightly naive as well, but see's and doesn't practice injustice, like most other people.

To Kill a Mockingbird and its ever-present motif helped me to understand motifs better. Because the mocking bird is only nearby when representing something big and the meaning is obvious, I can actually remember and use motifs correctly. Motifs enhance the story because it gives the novel some hidden meaning and an air of mystery. Also, it portrays the themes in a image of the themes. The best picture I got from the motif was of Boo Radly. He is not described very clearly or obviously as some of the characters are except through the mockingbird motif. The mockingbird sings on the Radly's property, unaware of the danger of being on the Radly's property which tells Jem and Scout that Aurthur must not be home. Also the characters talk about how He killed Mr. Ewell to protect the children, and shouldn't be taken to court because he is innocent and was doing the right thing in protecting the children. If that was honestly the only way to defend them than he shouldn't be locked up in jail. It would not be fair to him.