The title is something that is revealed in the novel. The idea of doing harm to an innocent or helpless creature that does no harm to you is senseless and brutal. Atticus Finch gives a BB gun to his children which is a "power" to be weilded carefully and responsibly... he cautions not to shoot at mockingbirds as they only give beautiful music.
Two persons in the novel who can be compared to the mockingbird are Tom Robinson and Arthur "Boo" Radley. Each of these individuals is an "innocent" and harmless person who is treated poorly by the community.
Tom is accused of raping Mayella Ewell by her father even though he has a crippled arm and probably was unable to inflict the damage on her neck that was caused by a left-handed person. Arthur Radley is what we would call today a "shut-in" because he is kept away from the community at large by his family. This seclusion gives people plenty of room to speculate about his character, night-time activities, etc...
Tom's sentencing at the trial is one of the climactic events of the story. The second climactic event of the story of the amazing rescue of the Finch children by none other than "Boo" Radley.
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