How are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem like mockingbirds? Why does the author portray them this way?

Though Tom
Robinson, , andare very differentin many ways, they all share an innocent quality that defines
the mockingbird motif. Tom's innocence is a legal one, Boo Radley's innocence is misunderstood
as threatening, and Jem's innocence is characteristic of a child.

Tom
Robinson is characterized as a kind father and husband, but his character is not very
well-defined. This superficial treatment of the character of Tom is deliberate. By giving
readers a limited view of Tom, one that focuses on his positive qualities, the reader never
really gets to know Tom Robinson. This means that the reader doesn't know Tom well enough to see
him as anything but innocent and undeserving of the suffering he endures, both in a legal sense
and in a personal sense.

Boo Radley is a misunderstood figure in Maycomb,
and his need for solitude contributes to his status as an innocent victim of gossip. By the end
of the novel, it is revealed that his subtle ways of connecting with the...