I will be doing a title analysis of To Kill A Mockingbird. Some people, upon first read claim that the title has almost nothing to do with the book, but that is not so. The title is based mainly on symbolism. Once, the quote "to kill a mockingbird is a deadly sin,... he does no harm... only sings for our enjoyment" I take this to mean that while other birds can cause harm, the mockingbird does not, therefore, though it may be justified to hurt someone who wronged you sometimes, it is never acceptable to hurt something that never caused you any hurt, worse, may have done you good many a time.
That said, I believe the mocking bird to be a symbol, at least partly, for Tom Robinson. He helped a girl who was worse off than him many times, and then she accuses him of comitting a crime he didn't do just to cover up her and her dad's own wrongdoing. As the quote said, to kill a mockingbird is a deadly sin. To end someone's life, someone who has done you a good turn for more times then you can count? Such is the worst of sins, a travesty to humankind.
In that, the title is symbolic. It not only pertains to the book, but carries a powerful message.
I read To Kill A Mockingbird a long time ago, and did in the beginning figure that the title had nothing to do with the book. I found other meanings for the title in the book, but i never thought of it as that symbolic, and having a bigger meaning in life. I definitely agree with what you say about the title.
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