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Arielle Cohen
Honors English
Ms. Wheeler
4 February 2016
To Kill Innocence
To Kill a Mockingbird is an American classic that will forever live on in the heart
of American society. This southern gothic novel has a title that represents its theme
throughout the whole book. Even though Harper Lee mentions mockingbirds a couple of
time, it is up to the reader to find the hidden meaning that lies in between the text. The
book tells of a white lawyer, Atticus, who does his best to defend a black man, Tom
Robinson, in the heart of the racist south in the mid 1930s. When Tom Robinson dies,
the bitter disease that consumes Maycomb County devours this innocence. This death of
innocence, the true meaning of the title, highlights the main themes in the book.
When Tom Robinson had his trial with Atticus as his defending lawyer, the people
who believed he was innocent thought they had a good chance of winning the case.
When the jury proved him guilty, it was a loss, but only partially because there was still a
chance he would survive his accusations. Atticus expresses this reassurance in the quote,
Hell go to the chair, said Atticus, unless the Governor commutes his sentence. Not
time to worry yet, Scout. Weve got a good chance. (Lee 250) With this dialogue,
Atticus instills more belief in himself and in Scout that there is still hope. Tom Robinson
still had a chance to prove the evils of racism
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wrong and win his life back. The thing that every character in the book didnt realize until
after Toms death was that the innocence was already lost the minute Mayella Ewell
opened her mouth and screamed. (Lee 276) They tried to beat the chains of Maycombs
diseases, but it was too strong a pull.
In the mid 1930s, Jim Crow laws were in affect and black people were
categorized as separate but equal, even though they were treated as anything but this.
The citizens of Maycomb didnt believe in the concept of separate but equal and totally
erased this idea from their minds, specifically during the trial of Tom Robinson. On page
251, the book reads, Theres something in our world that makes men lose their heads
they couldnt be fair if they tried. In our courts, when its a white mans word against a
black mans the white man always wins. This was the true harsh reality in the book and
for almost every black man that lived in the south during that time period. However ugly
or trashy people saw the Ewells, they valued their idea of what really happened more that
what Tom said had happened. This was why the death of innocence was so inevitable. It
was because their ideals back then, and how that ended the chance of a good life for so
many people.
Not only did the end of innocence come to Tom Robinson and the people
involved with the trial, it also came with Jem and Scout in their personal lives as well. To
Kill a Mockingbird follows the life of Scout and how she evolves through life in the heart
of Alabama. Her brother, Jem, also evolves alongside her. An example of Jem losing his
innocence is shown in the quote, You oughta let your mother know where you are, said
Jem. You oughta let her know youre here. Dills eyes
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flickered at Jem, and Jem looked at the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code
of our childhood. (Lee 156) This quote shows that as Jem ages and develops in his
character, he goes through many phases, such as this one, where he loses his innocence
slowly in pieces. He grows from a child who creates schemes on luring out Boo Radley
with Dill and Scout to their superior who always looks out for them. In his adolescence,
he strives to believe in what is right and will never miss an opportunity to bring justice,
just like his father.
Throughout the book, Scout also matures. In her ascendancy to adulthood, she is
constantly reminding herself to put herself in other peoples shoes so as to see their point
of view from certain situations. Also, in the beginning of the book, Scout has trouble
understanding some of the events that take place in her life. Towards the middle and
ending of the book, she gains a better understanding of the meaning of some of these
events and starts to see the world from a broader angle. On page 271, the quote reads, I
carefully picked up the tray and watched myself walk to Mrs. Merriweather. With my
very best company manners, I asked her if she would have some. After all, if Aunty could
be a lady at a time like this, so could I. This quote shows how Scout is maturing to a
point where she is detached from her previous views and takes in what she picks up on
from her Aunt Alexandra. She becomes mature at a point of crisis, where, before she
might of threw a fit over how the ladies of the Missionary Circle were acting, but as she
matured, she was kind about it and knew she had to just deal with the situation and push
ahead. This is how Scout loses her innocence during the book.
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When analyzed, the book shows a very distinct theme known as the death of innocence.
The quote on page 103 reads, Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit em, but
remember, its a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds dont do one thing but make
music for us to enjoy. This quote, what the title is based on, is significant to the death of
Tom Robinson. With his case, Toms innocence was the mockingbird and when he was
shot 17 times, this signified how the racism went down and sucked all of the
righteousness from the situation. With Jem and Scout, their loss of innocence was just
part of life. The many events that took place in the book helped shape who they would
eventually become when they reached adulthood. They slowly lost their childish ways
and went on to more mature things. In both of these examples, a mockingbird died, and in
its place something new, for better or worse, was born.