In the Memory of Every Mockingbirds

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In the Memory of Every Mockingbirds

Last year, a movie named 12 Years a Slave was successfully screened in many countries around the world. The movie was about a freeman forcefully becoming a slave and living a miserable life for twelve years, just because he was a black. Like this movie, To Kill a Mockingbird also depicts the social minorities being discriminated by the majority of the society for being different from them. In this book, the author never writes what the mockingbird represents. However, in the novel, Maudie and Atticus says that ‘It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ (119), because ‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.’ (119). From these lines, it is possible to assume that mockingbird is a people who endeavor to help the others, but are exposed to any threats by the evils, and even by the society. Therefore, the possible mockingbirds in this novel are Tom Robinson, Arthur Boo Radley, and Mayella Ewell, since they spread happiness to the others, but are pressured by any kinds of threats from the society they live in.

The first possible mockingbird in this novel is Tom Robinson, who is a symbol of innocence and gratitude, destroyed by the evil of the society. Tom Robinson is a black man who is accused of raping Mayella, a miserable white girl who is constantly harassed by his dad, Bob Ewell. Throughout the novel, Tom is depicted as a passive character who cannot protect himself from the evils of the society, just like the mockingbird, which is defenseless to any threats. ‘Well, in the first place I’m black—’ (167), says Tom in the novel. Tom is falsely accused by nearly every people in Maycomb, but cannot defend himself. Although Tom is a quiescent character, he always tries to help others. When he was accused of raping Mayella, Tom was actually helping her with the chores. Although he is a innocent and honest man, Tom is intimidated by the evil named ‘racial discrimination’, which is spread throughout the entire society. Racial desrimintion is an unchangeable prejudice of most people in Maycomb, which Atticus, Scout and Jem tries to change, but cannot. At last, just because of his skin color, Tom is sentenced to death and faces demise. In this novel, Harper Lee criticizes the brutality of racial discrimination by depicting steady destruction of Tom. She invisibly censures the whites who were accustomed to racial discrimination, by depicting the evilness of the whites in the trial of Tom. At last, Tom was the most miserable character throughout the novel, who did not have the power to fight against the wicked of the society, because of the sin named ‘black skin color’.

Another mockingbird in this novel is Arthur Boo Radley, who had to live in the dark for over a decade, because of the past fault that his dad committed on him. What Boo Radley represents in this novel is a ghost. He neither appears in front of people, nor anyone has witnessed him. However, he silently saves Scout and Jem, who first approached to Boo Radley, by opening up their mind. His actions throughout the novel, giving out presents, saving Scout and Jem, and punishing Bob Ewell, resembles the action of an angel in the myth, who rewards the good and punishes the wicked. In this way, Boo Radley is closer to hawk than mockingbird, in that he protects the goodness. However, even this hawk is also restrained by the social prejudice, which suppresses the unfortunates and praises the blessed. Therefore, like Tom Robinson, Boo Radley is also a figure who is discriminated by the others, due to the perverted norm of the society.

The last possible mockingbird is Mayella Ewell, who finds solace from Tom, but could not express her feelings and instead forcefully prosecute Tom, regardless of her intention. Some might argue that Mayella is a sinner who sued innocent Tom, although she knew the truth of the incident. But, she might have been fed up with his dad, who consistently beats and harasses her, and would have wanted to impute her burden to the others and live an ordinary life, by publicizing her personal matter. However, regardless of her intention, it is this coerced sin by her father that makes Mayella a mockingbird. Because of her dad’s enforcement, she hesitantly sues Tom, whom she feels gratitude toward, and finally leads him to death. Because of this sin, she will have to live everyday in penitence, until the very last day of her life. To say it again, it is her father’s harassment toward her that led her to unwanted prosecution and endless repentance, although the only thing she wanted was a regular life with her families.

Minority has to follow the majority. That is unchanging and everlasting truth. However, the majority should not subdue the minority, using its supremacy in quantity. In this novel, the innocent mockingbirds, Tom Robinson, Arthur Boo Radley and Mayella Ewell, are subjugated to the rest of the society, who are inhumane toward the minority in the society. From this novel, Harper Lee would have wanted to emphasize that no more mockingbirds should come out in the society, and insist on the utopia where everyone can be respected and beloved.

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