When Scout and Jem receive rifles for Christmas, they discover why they shouldn't kill a mockingbird. “The Mockingbirds do nothing but create music for our enjoyment. They don't eat people's gardens, they don't nest in corn troughs, they do nothing but sing at the top of their lungs for us. That is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103). Thrushes represent happiness. They cause no harm to anything or anyone. Therefore, it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Tom Robinson, a black man, is the man who was falsely accused of the rape of Mayella Ewell, a white woman. “He compared Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children” (275) Tom Robinson is one of the symbols of the mockingbird. He was convicted and murdered for the rape of Mayella Ewell. He didn't rape Mayella but was blamed for it. Since this was in the 1930s, blacks were no more believed than whites. So when Tom was killed it was like killing a mockingbird. He did nothing but help people, but he was killed. It brought only joy and happiness, not hate. Tom Robinson was not the only symbol of the mockingbird in the novel. Boo Radley was also the symbol of a mockingbird. Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell. He ended up killing Bob while trying to save the children. Heck Tate, the town sheriff, could prove that Bob fell on his knife. He did this so Boo wouldn't get into trouble. “Well, it would be a bit like shooting a mockingbird,