To Kill A Mockingbird is a bildungsroman by Harper Lee. In this novel there are many important and striking symbols. The repeated image of the mockingbird creates a strong and very effective motif. Harper Lee first introduces the reader to the Mockingbird in Chapter 10, when Atticus refuses to teach Scout and Jem how to shoot, saying, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit them, but remember that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. '. Harper Lee highlights Scout's curiosity towards her non-judgmental father, expressing that it is a "sin" to do something, as she consults Miss Maudie. Miss Maudie tells Scout that "mockingbirds don't do anything but make music for us to enjoy...That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Harper Lee allows the reader to explore this motif through the use of characters from the novel and the prejudices and morally wrongdoings in the fictional town of Maycomb. There are two main characters that Harper Lee uses this metaphor to illustrate. The symbolism of the metaphor represents good and innocent people being destroyed by evil. Tom Robinson is a black man working for Link Deas. His race makes him very vulnerable in Maycomb society and he recognizes this: "Mr. Finch, if you were a nigger like me, you'd be scared too." Tom's fear of Maycomb's residents contrasts with Maycomb's views on blacks, taking "the wrong assumption that all blacks lie [and] that all blacks are fundamentally immoral beings." Tom also reflects the mockingbird's compassion, as he feels sympathy towards the lonely Mayella: "I felt very sorry for her." His trial symbolizes a travesty of justice and Harper Lee reminds us of this when Scout observes: "The atmosphere in the courtroom was exactly the same as a cold February morning, with...... in the middle of a paper...... I'm physically and metaphorically, "it would be a bit like shooting a mockingbird". Mr. Tate's understanding of this also highlights how he is also a protector of the mockingbird and symbolizes a changing Maycomb, "taking the one man who has done you and this town great service and "dragging her with his shy ways into the limelight – for me that's a sin", this could symbolize that Atticus has changed someone's point of view for the better and that, therefore, Harper Lee follows the rules of a conventional novel. Harper Lee metaphorically illustrates that Boo was shot when he is forced to kill to save the children from a drunken Mr. Ewell, resulting in the loss of his innocence. Although this results in the two mockingbirds being slaughtered, Atticus describes it as "a step – it's only a small step, but it's a step." These two characters constitute the main and most important associations of mockingbirds..