Tom Robinson is a great example of a mockingbird. In chapter 10, Atticus explains to Jem and Scout about how it a sin to kill a mockingbird.
"I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after bluejays. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
When Scout hears this, she remarks that this is the first time she ever heard her father say something was a sin. She asks Miss. Maudie about it, and Miss. Maudie tells it is a sin.
"Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
Tom is a kind and gentle black man. He is hardworking and doesn't bother anyone. He just lives his life quietly. When Mayella accuses him of rape, Atticus knows he is innocent, but he also knows that in this town, it will be hard to get him off. It is no surprise when Tom is found guilty and eventually shot and killed, which is a sin just like shooting a mockingbird. Tom represents how ugly the world was and how innocent people are often judged and convicted just by the color of their skin.
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