Many say that true innocence can only be found in the eyes of a child. Though if that were true, our world would be a much worse place then it is today. Jean le Fontaine once said, "we become innocent when we are unfortunate." True innocence can be found in the oppressed, the misunderstood, the meek, and the exploited. In To Kill a Mockingbird, these oppressed and misunderstood are portrayed in the characters, Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley. Though the lives of the two differ greatly, they both share these common experiences. They, like the humble mockingbird, who only sings beautiful songs for us, expecting nothing in return, do nothing but try to live their lives as harmless but helpful people, and are destroyed by the ignorant people that belong to Maycomb's society.

Like the Mockingbird, Arthur or "Boo" Radley and Tom Robinson, are harmless creatures that do...