In the story of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch tells his children that it is wrong to kill a mockingbird. Miss Maudie goes on to further explain that “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Mockingbirds are innocent birds, so it is an literary analogy for killing an innocent man.
The problem with this analogy is that in real life mocking birds are vicious territorial animals that will attack anyone that gets close to them. It is a great book and a beautifully written story. But the basic analogy from which the title is derived is quite flawed.
I propose then, with our new knowledge on mockingbirds that we take the analogy in another direction. Instead of not just killing mockingbird, we should focus on what it looks like to thrill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds may be people or situations in our life that we find difficult to handle. They may be off-putting, insulting, or rude. But we do have what it takes to overcome and to thrill this mockingbird. We have good news, and an inner light that can captivate and tame the wildest birds (follow the analogy.) I have found that the only way to thrill a mockingbird is with the help of Jesus Christ.
-Chris, To Thrill a Mockingbird
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