In Chapter 10, on page 119 of the Grand Central Publishing edition of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus says,
"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (Lee 119)
Jem and Scout had recently been given air rifles from their Uncle Jack, and Atticus refuses to teach them how to shoot their guns. After Atticus tells them it is a sin to kill mockingbirds, Scout mentions that it was the only time she's ever heard her father say it was a sin to do something. Miss Maudie elaborates on why Atticus told them it was a sin to kill mockingbirds. She tells the children that mockingbirds do nothing but make music for people to enjoy all day, and do not eat up people's gardens or nest in their corncribs. Mockingbirds are symbolic of innocent beings throughout the novel. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are symbolic mockingbirds because they do not harm anyone and only bring joy to those around them. Atticus' lesson that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird alludes to the belief that it is wrong to harm innocent human beings. This is an important lesson in Jem and Scout's moral development that teaches them to treat all beings with respect and tolerance.
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