Mockingbird Motif

In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the re-occuring motif is the mockingbird. In the beginning of the book, mockingbirds are described as innocent and harmless. There are two major characters in this novel that fit these descriptions, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The motif of the mockingbird is used to exemplify themes in the book. Boo Radley's "mockingbird" exemplifies the theme of lost innocence. Throughout the book Scout and Jem become less and less afraid of Boo, which represents them losing their childhood innocence. Tom Robinson's "mockingbird" represents racism. Just because he was a black man he was guilty, even though he was proven innocent.

Before reading this book, I didn't have a clear concept of what a motif was. The mockingbird motif was clear and obvious, and I think it helped me understand it a lot better. The mockingbird gave deeper meaning to the book and the characters, and enhanced the many themes.