To Kill a Mocking Bird

Shivani Gupta, Student of Sinhgad Law College
The Great Depression-era fictitious Alabaman village of Maycomb serves as the setting for To Kill a Mockingbird. Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, the main character, is a bright but unorthodox youngster who grows between the ages of six and nine throughout the book. Atticus Finch, their widowed father, raises her and her brother, Jeremy Atticus, also known as “Jem.” He is a well-known attorney who instils empathy and justice in his kids. Notably, he informs them that killing a mockingbird is “a sin,” implying that the birds are harmless and innocent.
Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a Black resident of the town, after he is falsely accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. At one point, he is confronted by a mob that wants to lynch him, but Scout unintentionally defuses the situation. Atticus offers a defence that provides a more plausible interpretation of the evidence—that Mayella was attacked by her father, Bob Ewell—but Tom is convicted and killed while attempting to flee from custody. A character compares his death to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds,” which is parallel to Atticus’s statement about the mockingbird.
As they develop a fascination in Arthur (“Boo”) Radley, a reclusive neighbour and local legend, the kids act out their own miniature drama of prejudice and superstition. They can’t help but trespass on the Radley property because they have their own opinions about him. Their elders’ continued dehumanization feeds their conjectures. However, Atticus chastises them and attempts to promote a more considerate mindset. Through a string of kind deeds, Boo subtly establishes his presence before stepping in to stop Bob Ewell from attacking Jem and Scout. In order to spare the bashful Boo from unwelcome attention, Heck Tate, the sheriff, feels it would be more accurate to claim that Ewell died after falling on his own knife. Scout concurs, saying it would be “sort of like shooting a mockingbird” to do otherwise.