To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee (1926 – ) Essay, Research Paper

Upon receiving an air rifle for Christmas,

Jem had been counseled by his father never to kill a mockingbird. It would

be a sin because they , don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.”

To Kill a Mockingbird tells of the gradual

ethical awakening of Scout Finch and her brother Jem. Slowly they become

aware of the difference between truth and gossip, and learn that people

and things are often both more and less than what they seem; that kind,

easy-going neighbors can be twisted by prejudice and convention. After

the Halloween attempt on their lives, Jem and Scout finally see that the

fear and ignorance behind their own harassment of gentle Boo Radley was

not so different in essence from the suspicion and scapegoating that led

to the killing of Tom. To tease Boo was “as shameful as killing a mockingbird.