Both are songbirds who belong
to other songbird families. Both make beautiful music and
do no harm to other birds or farmers' crops. These are symbolic of the Finch family,
Dolphus, Tom, and Boo. (See below)
They are contrasted by
the bluejays, who are considered pests. They do not make music; instead, they harm
farmers' crops. They travel alone. This is symbolic of Bob Ewell in the
novel.
From my New Oxford American
Dictionary:
A finch is "a seed-eating
songbird that typically has a stout bill and
colorful plumage." The true finches belong to the family Fringillidae
(the finch family), which includes chaffinches, canaries,
linnets, crossbills, etc. Many other finches belong to the bunting, waxbill, or
sparrow families.
A mockingbird is "a long-tailed
thrushlike songbird with grayish plumage, found mainly in
tropical America and noted for its mimicry of the calls and songs of other birds." The
mockingbird family also includes the catbirds,
thrashers, and tremblers.
No comments:
Post a Comment