Mockingbird Characters in To Kill a Mockingbird

There are many different "mockingbird" characters in Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Early on in the novel, Atticus tells his children to "shoot all the blue jays that you want, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Lee 103). He says this because mockingbirds are known to be harmless creatures that do nothing but sing joyously. Lee cleverly uses this mockingbird imagery to title her classic novel and to describe characters …

…who have different lifestyles than the others in their community, and since others don't know them for who they truly are, they are unjustly treated. These characters were not punished for wrong doings, but for being different from the normal. Had the people of Maycomb taken the time to get to know and understand these citizens better, they might not have had to "kill" any "mockingbirds", thus showing the significance of Lee's properly placed title.