General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Pass a Bill or Shove it Up Your Ass. [View all]sheshe2
(98,287 posts)The characters name was Atticus Finch.
Remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird. That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
Your fathers right, she said. Mockingbirds dont do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. Thats why its a sin to kill a mockingbird.
These lines from Chapter 10 are the source of the novels title and introduce one of the key metaphors of the book: the idea of mockingbirds as good, innocent people who are destroyed by evil. Boo Radley, for instance, is like a mockingbirdjust as mockingbirds do not harm people but only sing their hearts out for us, Boo does not harm anyone; instead, he leaves Jem and Scout presents, covers Scout with a blanket during the fire, and eventually saves the children from Bob Ewell. Despite the pureness of his heart, however, Boo has been damaged by an abusive father. The connection between songbirds and innocents is made explicitly several times in the book: in Chapter 25, Mr. Underwood likens Tom Robinsons death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children; in Chapter 30, Scout tells Atticus that hurting Boo Radley would be sort of like shootin a mockingbird. The moral imperative to protect the vulnerable governs Atticuss decision to take Toms case, just as it leads Jem to protect the roly-poly bug from Scouts hand.
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/quotes.html