you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Lee, 92).

Miss Maudie then elaborates on Atticus's comment by telling the children that mockingbirds are peaceful, innocent beings that cause no harm to anyone and sing beautiful songs. They are also completely defenseless and vulnerable, which is why it is considered a sin to kill a mockingbird.

As the novel progresses, Lee utilizes mockingbirds to symbolically represent innocent, benevolent characters, who are defenseless, vulnerable, and in need of protection. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are the two main characters who are considered symbolic mockingbirds in the story. Tom Robinson is a gracious, honest man, who is helpless against the violent racists in his community and the corrupt justice system. Atticus not only teaches his children a lesson on protecting mockingbirds but also demonstrates his ideology by valiantly defending Tom Robinson in front of a racist jury. Tragically, Tom becomes a victim of racial injustice and is wrongly convicted of raping Mayella Ewell. Following the trial, Tom is gunned down as he attempts to escape the Enfield Prison Farm and Mr. Underwood metaphorically compares his death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds (mockingbirds). Scout mentions,

Mr. Underwood didn’t talk about miscarriages of justice, he was writing so children could understand. Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children (Lee, 244).

Boo Radley is another symbolic mockingbird, who is depicted as a kind, misunderstood man. Towards the end of the novel, Boo saves Jem and Scout's life by stabbing and killing Bob Ewell during his vicious attack. Sheriff Tate understands that the community will bring unwanted attention to Boo's doorstep when they learn about his heroics, which he believes will bother and upset the extremely shy, reclusive man. Sheriff Tate protects Boo from the community's limelight by refusing to disclose his heroics to the public. When Atticus asks his daughter if she understands Mr. Tate's reasoning, Scout metaphorically interprets her father's earlier lesson and Lee's main idea of the novel by saying,

"Well, it’d be sort of like shootin‘ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?" (Lee, 280).

Despite its modest size, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird incorporates an incredibly diverse amount of themes. However, if you had to focus on just one of them as the main idea, it would be best to choose Lee's critique of racism.

Taking place in the American South in the 1930s, the novel grapples with significant racial tensions. Indeed, the focal point of the novel is the unjust trial of Tom Robinson, a young black man accused of raping and beating up a young white woman. This trial unleashes an incredible volume of racist tension. Lee illustrates this fact perfectly when Mr. Gilmer, the prosecuting attorney, criticizes Tom Robinson for pitying Mayella Ewell, the woman he is accused of raping. "'You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?'" Mr. Gilmer bellows (200). This suggests that no black man should dare feel sorry for a white woman, as a black man is considered "inferior" to all whites in the society of Maycomb.

However, it's important recognize that in critiquing this racism, Lee also offers a solution. Toward the beginning of the book, Atticus tells Scout, "'you never really understand a person until you you consider things from his point of view'" (34). Here, Atticus suggests that prejudice can be combated by embracing different viewpoints from different people, something that the racist citizens of Maycomb have failed to accomplish. Thus, while critiquing racism is one of the main ideas of Lee's novel, it's important to realize that Lee also spends plenty of time offering ways of overcoming it.