The trial of Tom Robinson is of great significance in
To Kill a Mockingbird. In the novel, Atticus Finch teaches his
children, Scout and Jem, that they are not to shoot mockingbirds, since mockingbirds
represent only purity and beauty; the birds do not harm anyone and only give beauty in
the form or song. The trial of Tom Robinson is symbolic of the killing of a
mockingbird, which is (in turn) symbolic of the destruction of
innocence.
Tom Robinson, is found guilty of the rape of
Mayella Ewell, despite his actual innocence. The reason for the guilty verdict lies in
the prejudice of those around him. As a black man, he is assumed to possess fewer
morals and less innate goodness than the white citizens of Maycomb, including Bob
Ewell. When Tom Robinson dies as a result of attempting to escape the prison in which
he never should have been placed, it is a direct reflection of the theme of the
destruction of innocence.
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