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The use of symbolism to kill a mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird a character study essay
The use of symbolism to kill a mockingbird
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Throughout this journal, one can evaluate that the symbol of the mockingbird is represented by Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley. To begin, Tom Robinson’s character arc can be seen to symbolize the concept of the mockingbird. For instance, Tom is a righteous and honorable man. It is repeatedly indicated and proven within the novel that Tom is innocent of his convicted crimes, and that he was falsely accused of his assault on Mayella Ewell. This virtue of Tom aligns with the pure, untarnished description of the mockingbird, as both are innocent creatures. Another reason Tom can be compared to a mockingbird is due to his natural drive to help others. Tom Robinson can be inferred to be a kind and sympathetic man, as he completes a number of …show more content…
Not a speck” (Lee 261). This statement is evidence for Tom being considerate and unproblematic, which can be compared to the mockingbird’s quality of never being a burden on others, along with how Tom’s favors for Mayella can be compared to the mockingbird’s generous singing. The last example of Tom representing the mockingbird is based on the circumstances involving his death. As previously explained, Tom has the innocence of the mockingbird, and as such, it is immoral to kill him as it would be immoral to kill a mockingbird. After Maycomb learns of Tom’s death, newspaper-writer Mr. Underwood states that “it was a sin to kill cripples… he likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughters of songbirds by hunters and children” (Lee 323). This quote directly compares Tom’s demise to that of a songbird’s, making the connection of Tom symbolizing the mockingbird obvious. To go deeper, one can figure that Bob Ewell represents the hunter in Mr. Underwood’s analogy, who kills the “mockingbird” out of cruelty and malice, while Mayella Ewell represents the child, who causes the death of the “mockingbird” from her own carelessness and …show more content…
One way Boo is like the mockingbird is that they both are harmless and keep to themselves. Despite what the Maycomb legends of Boo say, he has not harmed or caused grievance to citizens of Maycomb in the last fifteen years. This trait of Boo being unbothersome can be compared to the manner of the mockingbird. Both Boo and the mockingbird live sequestered from others, not causing a nuisance or inconvenience to those around them, and excepting a few rare occasions in Boo’s past, both Boo and the mockingbird are generally harmless. Another way Boo is like the mockingbird is due to his kind and giving nature. Some examples of this is when Jem and Scout find small trinkets and knick-knacks in the tree by the Radleys, which are gifts from Boo, or when Boo wraps a blanket around Scout during Miss Maudie’s house fire. These actions show that Boo is selflessly magnanimous, and helps others purely from the goodness of his own heart. This trait can be compared to the mockingbird, who is described to not “do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” (Lee
Boo Radley is more subtle in showing how he represents the mockingbird, as he is more of a quiet, shy character. Boo was confined to his home but is still aware of the people around him. The children view him more as a superstition than a person in the beginning of the novel but Scout realizes just how good of a person Boo really is when he saves her and Jem from Mr. Ewell. Tom Robinson represented the killing of the mockingbird. He was looked down upon by most of the community but he was an innocent man who had no intention of harming anyone, yet he was still convicted of the crime and sentenced to
It teaches them to not be prejudice and get to know a person before making a judgement. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley, was frowned upon by many people in the Maycomb community. He was rumoured to have been locked in the basement by his father and older brother after an incident involving scissors. Though never seen stepping outside his house, he intrigues yet also frightens Scout, Jem and their friend Dill. After different events in the novel, the children come to find that Boo Radley is not intimidating, but a man who due to his father, is emotionally damaged. Miss Maudie, a neighbour of the Finch’s, explains to Scout that "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.” The mockingbird is a symbol for innocent people, who are judged for no reason. Like the mockingbird, Boo Radley has people prejudiced against him when he is an innocent man. By using this metaphor, the reader is able to understand the link between Boo Radley and the innocence and morality. As well as the mockingbird, he also symbolises goodness. By secretly watching over Scout and Jem, he protects them from later being attacked by Bob Ewell, a symbol of evil. When Jem and Scout begin to trust Boo, they are paying the highest tribute they could pay him.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, the main plot, the Tom Robinson case, parallels that of the Boo Radley subplot in many ways. In the Tom Robinson plot, Tom, a black man, gets falsely accused of savagely beating and raping Miss Mayella Ewell, a 19 year old girl who lives in poverty with her father, Bob Ewell, and her many younger siblings. Though the evidence points to Bob Ewell as the abuser, the townsfolk, including the jury, take the Ewell’s word over Tom’s purely because of his skin color. The subplot in this novel is focused on Arthur “Boo” Radley, the mysterious neighbor of the Finch family. They know very little about him, as he hasn’t left his house in many years. In the midst of the Tom Robinson case, the Boo Radley subplot trails off, almost
...markings of an innocent childhood no longer. After Tom Robinson is shot, his murder is compared to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds”. Their hearts do nothing but sing out, making beautiful music for all to hear. This is why it is considered a sin to kill one. Jem Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley can all be seen as “mockingbirds”. They never attempt to hurt anyone, yet Tom Robinson was framed for rape, Boo Radley was unlawfully labeled as a vague recluse and the innocence of Jem Fitch was unfairly stolen due to the evil nature of society.
Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both symbolized by the mockingbird. Earlier in the novel Atticus tells the kids “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 103) Miss Maudie is the one to explain to them why he said that. Mockingbirds do not bother anyone; they only make music for us to enjoy. The mockingbird can symbolize Boo Radley in many ways. The first reason is everyone assumes he is a bad and evil person just because of rumors people have spread. Whenever a crime is committed in Maycomb many believe it is the works of Arthur Radley. If the town’s azaleas froze it was because Boo had breathed on them. No child would ever eat the pecans from the Radley tree because they
In the case of Scout and Jem, they believed that Boo Radley, who is an outcast of Maycomb, possesses a horrific appearance, and that he is a savage, "he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained." However, as the story progresses, it is revealed that Boo is actually a kind-hearted person who has not done anybody wrong, but unfortunately, he was ruined by the hands of his family. Thus, Boo is an example of a mockingbird, as mentioned by Atticus. The disclosing of the character of Boo demonstrates Scout and Jem's loss of innocence. They can no longer see Boo as a mysterious threat in their life, instead they saw Boo as a person. "...he's crazy..but Atticus I swear to God he ain't ever harmed us, he coulda cut my throat...but he mend my pants instead..." In a way, Boo serves as a symbol of the transition of Scout and Jem's maturity, as the kids exhibit their ability to empathize with
The two characters in this book that represent this symbol are Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. Tom Robinson is a “mockingbird” because he is wrongfully accused of raping a white girl. Through the prejudice of the people in Macomb he later convicted and killed, even when he never did anything to Mayella Ewell. Boo Radley is also another great example of a “mockingbird” because no one accepts him throughout the town, which forces him to hide in his home. He had rumors spread about him saying that he was a bad guy.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about a black man named Tom Robinson who is imprisoned and on trial for raping a white woman. Throughout the novel Harper Lee explores the theme of imprisonment in many forms such as restriction because of age and/or gender, because of one’s past, and because of social circumstances such as racism. The novel’s main character Scout, feels frustrated by the restrictions placed on her because of her age and her gender and finds ways to express herself in spite of these restrictions. In contrast, Arthur Radley (Boo) allows his past to imprison him inside his house both physically and mentally. Finally, Mayella Ewell is restricted by her society’s expectations that white women are not allowed to be attracted to black men. Ironically even though Tom is the one in jail, Mayella is also imprisoned by the rules of segregation and has to claim she was raped instead of admitting she was attracted to him. She is beaten and shamed for her desires and urges to be with Tom. To summarize, these four characters show the many ways we can be
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (p.90) Miss. Maudie, one of the main protagonists in To Kill a Mockingbird, warns the young girl Scout that mockingbirds should not to be killed or hunted down because they represent those who are kind and innocent. So, on a broader spectrum, the term “to kill a mockingbird” symbolizes cruel and improper behavior towards people with good hearts and intentions. In the town of Maycomb, unethical behaviors, such as prejudice and gossip, are most commonly used against the “mockingbirds”. Three of those “mockingbirds” that are featured in this novel are Arthur “Boo” Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch. Due to the depiction of the mockingbird symbol in the novel, the reader understands the consequences that immoral attitudes have towards those who are innocent and kindhearted.
Our first major character is Boo Radley, who is first introduced as Scout and Jem walk past the Radley house every day after school. Jem, Scout, and Dill are fascinated with the chilly stories of Boo’s past, spending many summers acting out his life and imagining what he is like. As the story progresses, the children come to realize that Boo was in fact an intelligent child, but was poorly treated by his “foot-washing Baptist” father, resulting in mental problems at a very young age. Boo Radley is one of the eponymous “mockingbirds” of the book, the other being Tom Robinson. Mockingbirds, as explained in the book by Atticus, “don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... but sing their hearts out for us. That is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird." (90) The analogy holds true for Boo, a young boy damaged by his father’s ambitions, and is partially the reason he has shied away from society. He is already experienced the harmful effects of a racist/judgmental culture and realizes how evil society is. Towards the end of the book, Scout ...
n Begin Match to source 4 in source list: Submitted to Highland High School on 2018-04-19the book to kill a mockingbird,End Match three characters stood out. Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Scout all had bold personalities. Whether being brave or being morally just or even being a helping hand they all played a huge role in the books plot line. Tom Robinson helped the plot by being a friend to a white woman, he was bright and had all the right intentions but ended up in the wrong situation after the bogus court case when he was shot and killed. Atticus Finch is a perfect example of a perfect being, after defending Tom Robinson and being spit in the face by Bob Ewell Atticus still kept his cool and remained calm, he did not fight or did not push he simply let it be. Tom Robinson having a wife
Two main protagonists, Jem and Atticus, represent the pure goodness of a mockingbird because they are innocent, bring joy to others and receive undeserved violence. With the presence of these characters whose goodness mirrors that of a mockingbird, Harper Lee is arguing that even in a community such as Maycomb that has so much racism and bigotry, goodness can coexist with evil. In this tragic story in which the innocent character of Tom Robinson is unfairly killed, there is insurgent hope in the goodness of people like Jem and Atticus
...birds are one of the main symbols. Mockingbirds are innocent they do not harm anyone but makes beautiful music. However, they get killed by people every day. There are many innocent person present in this novel; three main characters that are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond, and they symbolize the Mockingbirds. Tom was a wrongly accused of rape, and he was brutally killed because he was black. Boo Radley did not do any harm to anyone, he was innocent, but people in the Maycomb County were thinking him as a monster which hurt him mentally. Lastly, Mr. Raymond symbolized the Mockingbird because he was innocent, however only because he thought different than others, he was looked down by the people in Maycomb County. Mockingbirds in this novel symbolized the innocent people who are getting wrongly accused and their innocence getting destroyed by evil.
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Scout and Jem become aware of the prejudice throughout their community and realize Boo Radley is a caring, selfless individual. Atticus teaches his children many important lessons such as, the importance of perspective; being courageous when faced with adversity; why harming innocent human beings is wrong, and how to make the morally correct choice during difficult times. there are multiple main characters but in particular three of them appear to be like mockingbirds these three characters are Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. In my three paragraphs, I'll explain how these characters are portrayed as mockingbirds. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley all
The main symbols discussed and portrayed in the book were Tim Johnson, the Mockingbirds and Boo Radley. Tim Johnson was a neighbourhood dog who appeared down the Finch’s street one day, but looked very ill and was rabid. Calpurnia the black maid working at the Finch’s rang Atticus and he shot it. Tim Johnson could symbolize the prejudice and mob mentality of Maycomb at the time and because Atticus shot Tim this represents Atticus’s morals beliefs about stopping racism and creating equality. The Mockingbird used in the title of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is the most important symbol depicted in this novel. One day Atticus told Jem that he’d rather Jem shoot at tin cans, but he knew Jem would go after birds. He gave Jem permission to shoot all the blue jays he felt like, but it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. Jem then went to Miss Maudie to ask about what Atticus had just said, "Your father’s right," she said. "Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” This conveys the loss of innocence in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and thus killing a Mockingbird is to destroy innocence. A number of characters (Jem, Tom Robinson, Dill, Boo Radley, Mr. Raymond) can be identified as Mockingbirds who have been injured or destroyed through their contact with evil. As the novel progresses, the children’s perspective towards Boo Radley matures and this replicates the development of the children. Boo Radley was once an intelligent child, only to be ruined by his cruel father is one of the most important mockingbirds as his innocence was destroyed. Luckily for Jem and Scout, Boo was merely a source of childhood superstition often leaving presents for them. Despite the pain that Boo