"Shoot all the jays you want, if you can hit them, but remember it's a shame to kill a thrush...."Simultaneous thrushes do nothing but they make music for our enjoyment. They don't eat people's gardens, they don't nest in corn troughs, they do nothing but sing at the top of their lungs for us. That's why it's a shame to kill a thrush. 90). Harper Lee uses the mockingbird to communicate her theme of defending the innocent. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, it is evident that in the small town of Maycomb, racial intolerance and gossip compromise the community's good judgment. Prove that Arthur "Boo" Radley, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson do no harm; their only crime is singing at the top of their lungs for what they believe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To understand why Arthur “Boo” Radley is a mockingbird, it is crucial to recognize how he silently observes Jem and Scout. He resembles a mockingbird in his natural desire to please children with the gifts he places on the tree and in his tender compassion for them when they stand outside shivering in the cold watching Miss Maudie's fire. When Sheriff Tate is determined to report that Mr. Ewell fell on the knife, he shows that he does not believe that either Jem or "Boo" Radley should face an inquiry into whether someone killed Bob Ewell. Initially, Atticus resists Sheriff Tate's conclusion; however, as she listens to Sheriff Tate, her mind changes: "... To my way of thinking, Mr. Finch, to take the one man who has done you and this town a great service and drag him along with your timid ways in the spotlight: to me it's a shame. It's a shame and I'm not going to have it on my head" (275). Scout goes on to say, "Well, that would be a bit like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" (276) This statement implies that, like killing a mockingbird, arresting Boo would serve no useful purpose and would harm someone who never intended to harm anyone. But in chapter 10, when Atticus shoots the dog, it's okay because the dog is dangerous. Also, on the night Boo Radley saves their lives, Jem and Scout hear a mockingbird in the Radleys' yard: "High above us, in the darkness, a solitary mockingbird poured out his repertoire in blissful unawareness of the tree on which he sat, diving from the shrill sound, kee of the sunflower bird to the irascible quack of a jay, to the sad lament of Poor Will, Poor Will, Poor Will" (254-255). Jem and Scout noticing that Boo wasn't home foreshadowed what was to come in the chapter. Harper Lee is trying to show that Boo is a great example of a thrush in the novel, but she is putting a real thrush in Boo's yard. Boo Radley pours out his songs of joy or sympathy in a sort of blissful unawareness of the consequences. Part of being a thrush requires a person who articulates the concept that it is a sin to kill a thrush. Atticus Finch and his family were subjected to the rage without having done anything wrong. When Atticus explained his reasons for taking on this stressful case, he emphasized, "The main one is, if I didn't do it, I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature... .. Scout, simply by the nature of the job, every lawyer gets at least one case in his life that affects him personally” (75). Atticus chooses moral right above all else and leads his life to set an example for his children. Once racial prejudice clouds a person's mind, it quickly becomes impossible for that person to resemble a"..