In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?

In Chapter 10, Jem and Scout are about to shoot their air rifles outside, when Atticus tells them “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Miss Maudie elaborates, and tells the children that Atticus is right. She says that mockingbirds do nothing to harm anyone or anything, and all they do is sing their hearts out for people. Mockingbirds symbolize innocent beings throughout the novel. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are two characters that are symbolized as mockingbirds because they are innocent beings who do not harm anybody. Unfortunately, they become victims of Maycomb’s prejudiced community members. Boo Radley is subjected to negative rumors about his life, and Tom Robinson is convicted of a crime he did not commit. Treating innocent beings with respect and kindness is an important lesson in Scout’s moral development. Whether the innocent being is a mockingbird or a person, it is a sin to harm them.