What does it mean to be a mockingbird? Up until To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published, nobody knew what being a mockingbird meant. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in 1930s in rural Alabama, during the Great Depression. It follows the story of siblings, Jem and Scout, as they learn many lessons across the span of a few years. One of the lessons they learn is what it means to be a mockingbird, and who the mockingbirds are in their lives. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, being a “mockingbird” is a metaphor for someone who is criticized but never did anything wrong. Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Dolphus Raymond are portrayed as “mockingbirds.”
The first example of a character in To Kill A Mockingbird that could be considered a mockingbird is Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus Raymond may not be a very important character in this novel, but he is one of the best examples of a “mockingbird”. Dolphus Raymond is a citizen of Maycomb county who married a black women and has mixed children. People see him as a terrible man because he immerses himself in the colored culture and hangs around Negroes. To draw people’s focus away from the fact that he connects himself with the colored folks of Maycomb county, he drinks Coca-Cola out of a brown paper bag so people have the perception that …show more content…
Dolphus Raymond was criticized for the way he lived, even though he never harmed anyone when he lived how he wanted to. Boo Radley committed one crime, and was forever remembered as a terrible person for what he did. Tom Robinson went to jail and died, just because he was a person of color. Harper Lee narrates through all of these characters the “Golden Rule”, treat others how you want to be treated. These mockingbirds never harmed society, but society harmed them. Harper Lee wants us to ask ourselves, “Are we treating others fairly?” And if not, “What can we do to be nicer to
The first example of a character in To Kill A Mockingbird that could be considered a mockingbird is Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus Raymond may not be a very important character in this novel, but he is one of the best examples of a “mockingbird”. Dolphus Raymond is a citizen of Maycomb county who married a black women and has mixed children. People see him as a terrible man because he immerses himself in the colored culture and hangs around Negroes. To draw people’s focus away from the fact that he connects himself with the colored folks of Maycomb county, he drinks Coca-Cola out of a brown paper bag so people have the perception that …show more content…
Dolphus Raymond was criticized for the way he lived, even though he never harmed anyone when he lived how he wanted to. Boo Radley committed one crime, and was forever remembered as a terrible person for what he did. Tom Robinson went to jail and died, just because he was a person of color. Harper Lee narrates through all of these characters the “Golden Rule”, treat others how you want to be treated. These mockingbirds never harmed society, but society harmed them. Harper Lee wants us to ask ourselves, “Are we treating others fairly?” And if not, “What can we do to be nicer to