Mockingbird Motif.

While I was doing the summer assignment, I didn't have any idea what the word motif really meant, and even after writing the definition for it, I was still pretty unclear as to what it really was. By definition motif is; a recurring theme in a novel that helps a book progress or get across a message more easily. While reading; To Kill a Mockingbird, I got a much better understanding of what it means, mostly due to the Mockingbird Motif throughout the novel. It seems to run the plot and motivate the themes of the book which were; . I understood the motif exceptionally well in this book because the different themes in the book were tied together with the motif.

It is referred to the most with Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. These two characters are known to be innocent and fragile just like a mockingbird. It would be a sin to kill them, which is where the title of the book comes from. Tom Robinson was respectful and eager to help Mayella and ended up being accused of her rape. Although it was completely obvious that he was innocent, the jury found him guilty because of his race. Toms theme obviously represents racism. The entire book is based on the fact that 'whites are better than blacks'. Boo Radley lived a secluded life in his house, although Jem and Scout were always curious to find out more about him. He never did anything bad to anyone and was continuously oppressed by his brother Nathan. Boo exemplifies the theme of loss of innocence. At the start he seems to be this quite person and ends up murdering Bob Ewell at the end.