mockingbird motif

After reading the novel To Kill a Mockingbird I understood the meaning of motif more than I did before reading the novel. I know a motif is a reoccurring symbol in the book, but now I better understand how to look for a motif. Though, it was not hard to find in this novel because the motif is stated in the title.

The "mockingbird motif" in the novel is innocence. When Atticus says it is a sin to kill a mockingbird he means that it is wrong to kill something that has done nothing wrong. The themes in To Kill a Mockingbird were racism and predujice towards others. Tom Robison and Arthur Radley are both good examples of the themes and they both tie into the mockingbird motif. Tom is judged by his color and everything he does has to do with his color/race. Tom is judged unfairly by others becuase of the stories people have made up. People in Maycomb were always saying how he ate cats and only came out at night, when, in reality, he stayed in his house becuase he was scared of the outside world and his brother, Nathan Radley. Another thing that is predujice in the novel is the way men treat woman. Woman must be lady-like. They must wear dresses. It is wrong to cuss in front of them and woman can not be involved in the jury or any other type of government. I believe that everyone should be treated like equals and that that was the message the other was trying to portray with the novel.