Monday 23 January 2017

Can Atticus from To Kill a Mockingbird be considered a "mockingbird"?

It would be hard to make the argument that Atticus is a mockingbird. Although he does have some of the qualities of a mockingbird, he does not have others. 


First, let's look at what we know about the mockingbird according to miss Maudie:


"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts...

It would be hard to make the argument that Atticus is a mockingbird. Although he does have some of the qualities of a mockingbird, he does not have others. 


First, let's look at what we know about the mockingbird according to miss Maudie:



"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Ch.10).



Atticus only does good things in the book, so we can see that as being like a mockingbird. 


However, there is also an implication that mockingbirds are completely innocent beings, and incapable of defending themselves, so shooting them for no reason would be a sin. Atticus is more complicated than a mockingbird in that sense. He is not a complete innocent and he is certainly capable of defending himself. For these two reasons, it would be hard to say that he is a mockingbird. 

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