A mockingbird is the innocence of a bird that sings only for others, bringing pleasure to those who are willing to listen. Tom is innocent, willing to help people, sees the world as a positive place even if it's not what it seems. He is a gentleman who has been criticized just because he is considered "different" in Maycomb society. He was willing to help Mayella, a lonely and defenseless girl, who needs his help because her father doesn't want it. He felt sorry for her, but in the end he was accused of a crime he never committed. The blue jay is loud and arrogant; where otherwise the thrushes only sing the songs of other birds. The people of Maycomb only knew Tom Robinson by what others said and accused of him, he didn't have the chance to truly show them his true self. It didn't have its own freedom, it didn't have a "song", just like the mockingbird. Therefore, he was characterized by the views of others, not by the expression of his true self. In the novel, Atticus tells Scout and Jem, "I'd rather you shoot the tin cans in the yard, but I know you'll chase them." birds. Shoot all the jays you want, if you can hit them, but remember that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Tom was blamed by the city for things he didn't do. It's a sin to kill a Mockingbird that sings only to people and it's a shame to judge people by appearance and outward judgments. He was discriminated against, blamed for what he didn't do, just because he didn't respect the status quo Tom Robinson is just like a mockingbird, he didn't do anything wrong. They "don't do a thing except make music for our enjoyment. They don't eat up people's gardens, they don't nest in corn feeders, they don't do a thing but sing their hearts out to us." All he did was provide help to... middle of paper... Ewell, the most despised by the white population and therefore, for them, the only reason why Tom would offer such help would be for a sinister purpose. On the contrary, Tom Robinson is a good man, not like the stereotype that white people they must be black people. He was clearly misunderstood, but could feel nothing but helpless, and yet have a glimmer of hope. They have never done anything else than to sing their hearts out through their good deeds. Tom was wrongly judged on the basis of a wrong accusation. Blacks on the other hand did not have their own song, others sang their songs based on beliefs about them only through what others said about him. He was the outcast of society. They never did anything to hurt anyone, they never deserved to be put down by society.