Mockingbird Motif

At the beginning of the year I thought motif and theme were basically the same thing. As we worked on To Kill a Mockingbird I now have a better understanding. Motif is the reoccurring theme in a novel. There can be many themes in a novel, but there is only one motif.

The motif in To Kill a Mockingbird is racism. Tom Robinson is accused of a crime he didn't do just because of the color of his skin. Atticus defends him in court, but Tom is guilty of the crime he didn't commit. Tom Robinson is like a mockingbird. Mockingbirds are a sign of peace and innocence. Tom can represent these things as well. The motif of racism is used throughout the themes in the novel. One example is when Tim, the dog, has rabies the people disgrace against him. Atticus once again steps in to help, and kills the dog so the disease doesn't spread. The dog symbolizes how people are prejudice.