In the novel, Miss Maudie and Atticus explain that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they do not harm anyone and simply "sing their hearts out for us." In other words, mockingbirds are innocent; they don't interfere with other people unless they are being helpful ("singing"). Tom Robinson is a mockingbird. He doesn't harm Mayella; he had only tried to help her. Thus, it was a sin to charge, convict, and shoot...
In the novel, Miss Maudie and Atticus explain that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they do not harm anyone and simply "sing their hearts out for us." In other words, mockingbirds are innocent; they don't interfere with other people unless they are being helpful ("singing"). Tom Robinson is a mockingbird. He doesn't harm Mayella; he had only tried to help her. Thus, it was a sin to charge, convict, and shoot him.
If Tate reports the facts of Bob Ewell's death, then Boo Radley would have to defend his actions in court. Boo stabbed Bob while defending Scout and Jem.
Boo is a mockingbird. It was in defense of the children that Boo killed Bob Ewell. Tate knows that a public trial would be too much for Boo to handle:
To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an‘ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight—to me, that’s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about to have it on my head. If it was any other man, it’d be different. But not this man, Mr. Finch.
Just as it was a sin to kill Tom, it would be a sin to put Boo through such an ordeal. Boo is too shy and introverted to handle that kind of exposure. It is not so much that Tate worries about whether Boo would be found innocent based upon the justification of protecting the children. It's just that Tate sees no point in putting Boo through the trial. So, he concludes that the official story will be that Bob fell on his own knife. Harming the one man (Boo) who was the hero in this situation would be like shooting a mockingbird.
No comments:
Post a Comment