"All the ladies in Maycomb includin' my wife'd be knocking on his door bringing angel food cakes. To my way of thinkin', Mr. Finch, taking the one man who's done you and this town a great service an' draggin' him with his shy ways into the limelight--to me, that's a sin." (Lee 370)
This quote describes Boo Radley as a mockingbird because Heck Tate alludes to his innocence. Throughout the novel, mockingbirds symbolize innocent characters. Atticus explains to Scout and Jem that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, meaning that it is wrong to harm an innocent person. Mockingbirds are innocent beings that harm nobody. Boo Radley was an innocent person, who was extremely shy and reclusive. Sherriff Tates knows that it would harm Boo Radley if he were given the attention for saving Jem and Scout.
"I just want the whole lot of you to know one thing right now. That boy's worked for me eight years an' I ain't had a speck o'trouble outa him. Not a speck." (Lee 261)
During Tom Robinson's trial, Mr. Link Deas stands up and testifies to Tom's character. Tom is a mockingbird because he is an innocent man who did not harm anyone. Mr. Link Deas' comments portray Tom as being innocent and trustworthy.
"It's like bein' a caterpillar in a cocoon, that's what it is," he said. "Like somethin' asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seemed like." (Lee 288)
This quote portrays Jem's loss of innocence. Jem, who is a mockingbird, was an innocent, naive child. He believed that Tom Robinson would be given a fair trial, but instead witnessed the ugly prejudice of Maycomb's community members.
What do you think are the best quotes from the book that show how Atticus, Tom, and Boo symbolize a mockingbird?
http://www.quotegarden.com/bk-km.html Here is a good quote list. http://classiclit.about.com/od/tokillamockingbird/a/aa_tokill.htm Here is another list of quotes. I think you'll find what you're looking for in one of these lists.See eNotes Ad-Free
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