In addition to innocence, the mockingird also symbolizes
goodness and beauty. When Miss Maudie first explains to Scout the meaning of Atticus'
statement--that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird"--she agrees with Atticus'
assessment.
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music
for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't
do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a
mockingbird."
Jem and Scout
particularly symbolize innocence, goodness and beauty. Although they are a bit more
rambunctious than some children and exposed to the world around them by Atticus'
allowance for their independence, they nevertheless serve as the primary human
mockingbirds of the story: Their childlike questions and responses to the good and bad
around them and their innate willingness to foster goodness in their actions make them
positive symbols for the future of Maycomb.
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