The mockingbird in the title of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," symbolizes a number of characters in the novel. In order to fully understand why these characters symbolize killed mockingbirds, one must first understand what the title represents and why it's wrong to kill a mockingbird. The idea that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird was first mentioned by Atticus Finch (the protagonist's, Scout, father) when he saw the children shooting things with BB guns. He knows that soon they will go after birds so he tells them: " Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.  As Miss Maudie (the Finch's next-door neighbor) explains to Scout, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are creatures that do nothing but sing beautiful music for the enjoyment of the community. Thus, killing one would mean killing an innocent creature that only tried to help others, hence why it's a sin. This idea is then mirrored with a number of characters in the novel, characters who were innocent, helpful, kind-hearted people that lost their innocence (thus "killed ) by the evils of the world. One excellent example of this is Boo Radley. Boo does many kind-hearted things in the novel such as leaving gifts in the knot-hole for Scout and Jem, repairing Jem's pants, putting the blanket on Scout discretely to keep her warm, and even saving them from the evil Bob Ewell. But because of his shyness and reclusiveness, the public has developed prejudice and false rumors toward him, thus killing his innocence. Another example of a mockingbird is Atticus Finch. Atticus has a very amicable and loving relationship with his children and also acts as their mentor as they grow up. He also displays courage by confronting the mob that tries to lynch Tom Robinson and defending Tom at the trial, thus standing up to racism when he knew "they were licked from the beginning. However, because he defends a black man (whic...