Main Heroes of to Kill a Mockingbird: a Closer Look at Their Personalities

Introduction

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee, 1960, p. 90). In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, many of the characters can be portrayed by the quote “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The three characters that are best represented by this are Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley.

Tom Robinson: The Innocent Mockingbird

Tom Robinson is a mockingbird character because he was accused of raping Mayella Ewell but is clearly innocent. Despite this, he was wrongly convicted due to the strong racism in Maycomb County. When Atticus was defending Tom, he highlighted a point that proved it was impossible for Tom to have beaten Mayella. “Thomas Robinson reached around, ran his fingers under his left arm and lifted it. He guided his arm to the Bible and his rubber-like left hand sought contact with the black binding. As he raised his right hand, the useless one slipped off the Bible and hit the clerk’s table” (Lee, 1960, p. 190). This proves that Tom could not have beaten Mayella’s face, as Sheriff Tate stated that it was the right side of her face that was bruised. This means Tom would have to hit her with his left hand, which he cannot use. Even though this evidence proves Tom's innocence, the court still finds him guilty. Tom did everything he could for Mayella: fetching water, dismantling a chest of drawers, and collecting firewood, all because he felt sorry for her. Yet, she turns on him and accuses him of rape. During the trial, when questioned by Mr. Gilmer, Tom states on many occasions that his reason for helping Mayella was that he felt bad for her. “Yes, suh. I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of them” (Lee, 1960, p. 197). This quote illustrates Tom Robinson as a mockingbird character. All he was trying to do was make Mayella's life a bit happier by helping her out, because he felt sorry for her due to her living conditions. Despite his good intentions, she turned on him and accused him of rape.

Atticus Finch: The Moral Compass

Atticus was constantly being attacked by the Maycomb citizens even though all he was trying to do was the right thing. Even though Atticus was appointed to defend Tom Robinson, it was the fact that he aimed to defend him sincerely that angered the town. If the town could see past their racism, they would realize that he was doing the right thing. At one point, Scout overhears the members of the Idlers Club talking about her dad. “The court appointed Atticus to defend him. Atticus aimed to defend him. That’s what they didn’t like about it. It was confusing” (Lee, 1960, p. 163). Scout is confused as to why the town is angered at Atticus when it is his job to defend Tom, even though he is black. Even Atticus’s friends turn on him during the novel; they threatened to kill him if he did not move out of their way. In this dialogue, Atticus and some angry townsfolk talk about Tom after he is moved to the jail. “He in there, Mr. Finch?” a man said. “He is,” we heard Atticus answer, “and he’s asleep. Don’t wake him up.” “You know what we want,” said another man. “Get aside the door, Mr. Finch” (Lee, 1960, p. 149-150). The conversation continues until Scout realizes that her father is going to be jumped. This quote proves that Atticus is a “mockingbird” character because he is only trying to do the right thing by helping Tom.

Boo Radley: The Misunderstood Recluse

Boo Radley has done nothing to the other citizens of Maycomb but he still gets mocked and slandered by them. The citizens of Maycomb have made up elaborate stories about how Boo eats cats, stabs his parents, and watches you sleep. While Scout is talking to Miss Maudie at one point in the novel, Scout asks Miss Maudie if the stories about Boo are true and she says that they are complete lies. “Do you think they’re true, all those things they say about B—Mr. Arthur?” “What things?” I told her. “That is three-fourths coloured folks and one-fourth Stephanie Crawford” (Lee, 1960, p. 45). This quote proves that Boo is a “mockingbird” character because once you hear that the stories came from Stephanie Crawford, you can tell that they are lies, and that people are basing these stories on little to no facts. At another point in the novel, Boo comes out of his hiding and the children realize that he is not as bad as he was made out to be by the other citizens of Maycomb. “Hey, Boo” (Lee, 1960, p. 270). This quote that Scout says when she finds out that her savior was Boo makes him a “mockingbird” character because this is when Scout realizes that all along they have not really given Boo a chance. Boo has not done anything to them, yet they still made fun of him.

Conclusion

Many of the characters are mockingbird characters in the novel, cast out from the normal life of Maycomb County for just trying to do the right thing. Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley each face ostracism for their integrity and kindness. Atticus went against most of his family and friends in his fight to defend Tom Robinson, and even though he wanted to do only what was right, he still got attacked by his County. Boo Radley has been locked up for the past 15 years and has done no wrong to the Maycomb citizens, yet they mock, kid, and make fun of him. Do you think these “mockingbird characters” deserved to be treated this way? No, they do not; they all were trying to do what they thought was best. Although the citizens may not have agreed with it, they should have been more understanding.

References

Lee, H. (1960). To Kill a Mockingbird. J.B. Lippincott & Co.