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Literary criticism of to kill a mockingbird
Themes for the book to kill a mockingbird
Themes in to kill a mockingbird essay
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The synopsis of To Kill a Mockingbird is that it is about a girl and her life in Maycomb County during the Great Depression. What symbolism is is that it uses basic objects, normal people, and thoughts and turns them into symbols of importance or meaning. Harper Lee offers several examples of symbolism to explain the themes of racism, diversity, and courage. Lee uses Tim Johnson, the rabid dog, to illustrate the corruption of racism. “Here the rabid dog, Tim Johnson, represents prejudice, and how, like a rabid dog, it spreads its disease throughout the South.” - PP.5 of Literary Criticism paper. “Rabid Dog; illness is contagious and dangerous - Symbolism Chart. “Don’t you go near that dog, you understand? Don’t go near him, he’s just as dangerous …show more content…
Dubose and her camelia flowers to show the reader how they illustrate prejudice and corruption. “Mrs. Dubose and her insults, which included, “Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” not only show us her own views, but they also represent the views of the rest of Maycomb County.”- PP.2 of Literary Criticism paper. “Since camellia flowers are white, their destruction could exemplify Jem trying to destroy the ways of the prejudiced white people of Maycomb County.” - PP.2 of Literary Criticism paper. “Thought you could kill my Snow-on-the-Mountain, did you? Well, Jessie says the top’s growing back out. Next time you’ll know how to do it right, won’t you? You’ll pull it up by the roots, won’t you?” - Chap.11 - Pg. 146. “Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict,” said Atticus. “She took it as a pain-killer for years. The doctor put her on it. She’d have spent the rest of the her life on it and died without so much agony, but she was too contrary---” - Chap. 11-Pg. 147. The use of Mrs. Dubose and her camellia flowers is to show that they are the picture of the citizens corruption from prejudice. Mrs. Dubose’s morphine addiction and her death also represents a symbol by itself. By showing how the morphine had consumed her, it relates to Maycomb County being consumed by prejudice, and how it can shout nasty ideas as Mrs. Dubose did. Next, this symbol is of how strong corrupting prejudice can be. The Last symbol the author uses is Tom Robinson,
According to Google, symbolism in literature is defined as the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. Symbolism can be seen throughout media and in many pieces of literature, including To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In the book, the symbol of the mockingbird represents the character Boo Radley, and how his story teaches people to not always believe what others have to say about someone without being able to prove it true for themselves. To start, in the beginning of the book, based on what they have heard from the town, the kids interpret Boo as this mysterious monster. Dill comes from outside of Maycomb from a town named Meridian and knows nothing about his new surroundings, Jem begins to tell him of the legendary Boo Radley.
Harper Lee is the author of To Kill A Mockingbird. She uses symbolism in this book which means using symbols to represent ideas or qualities. In her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Tom, Mayella, and Boo Radley as human “Mockingbirds” to contribute to the overall theme of innocence.
The symbolism of the mockingbird plays a huge role in the development of the theme in the novel. The mockingbird symbolizes innocence. In the book, it is believed that it is a sin to kill a man mockingbird because they bring about no harm, only beautiful music to enjoy. In the same sense, killing a mockingbird would be the equivalent of evil defeating good. This is represented multiple times in the novel through characters like Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. All of whom try to bring about the good in people rather than focus on the evil in the community.
To begin, the flowers represent the racism and prejudice that lies within the tight community of Maycomb, Alabama. One instance of the flowers being used as symbolism is when Camellias
This is because camellias symbolize purity, excellence, and refinery. Also, the flower can bring luck when given to a man. When Atticus says to Jem, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand,” (page 149) he was telling his son about Mrs Dubose’s excellence. Even as she was dying, Dubose wanted to be the best version of herself. She was a recovering heroin addict, and she wanted to become “pure” or free of her addiction. Mrs Dubose was refining herself in order to not be held down by anything or anyone. Towards the end of the book, Scout narrates that “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between.” (page 373) This applies to Mrs Dubose in an odd way, because she gave her flower to Jem instead of receiving one. Jem was given the flower as a sign that Mrs Dubose was not upset with him, but it also brought luck to him. The camellia was a representation of how she saw Jem’s growth as a person and a young
Symbolism. Why is it important in a novel? Why do authors incorporate symbols into their writing? Symbolism aids the reader in understanding what the author wants to portray. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, she writes about the racism in a small town in Alabama named Maycomb set in the 1930’s and about two children growing up and learning that their town is not as perfect as they thought. The theme topic appearance versus reality helps to get a better understanding of the symbols used in the novel and that you should not judge something by their appearance, you should judge by the reality of what it is. “As Atticus once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it.” (Scout page 77) In her novel, there are many symbols throughout the narrative that relate to the theme topic appearance versus reality. Harper Lee writes symbols into her novel, such as the snowman, Mrs. Dubose’s Camellia flower and Dolphus Raymond’s Coca-Cola bottle to help reinforce the theme topic of appearance versus reality throughout the novel.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a heroic tale of leadership and courage during racial times. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus, To, Jem and Scout are unfortunately exposed to a really racist and prejudice society and town. Which ends up causing them to lose a case and really confuse Jem and Scout when they are young. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird it uses characterization to help show a theme which is loss of innocence when people are exposed to surprising and unfair situations.
Camellias are full of petals embodying the complicated sick, elderly Mrs.Dubose yet it signifies adoration. The white camellia flower is a symbol that gracefully describes the character development of Mrs.Dubose. Even though, she seemed like a nasty woman she is a fighter. Atticus states, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew” (Lee 149). The camellia flower symbolizes the purity and death of Mrs.Dubose. She is a brave human to stop using the morphine drug which decreases the level of pain when she is suffering. Indeed, she fights and makes a firm decision to not continue the drug use. An individual would find it hard to resist the pain rather, Ms.Dubose pursued it in a different way. She already knew she was at loss however, she still restrained the discomfort and her braveness brought out the courage that
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.
These symbols make you look deeper into the text and give you an overall clearer understanding of the text. The most obvious symbolism is the title, To Kill a Mockingbird. He says it’s a literal sin to kill a mockingbird when Scout and Jem get air rifles. He says “shoot all the bluejays you want, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”(119). This is clearly a symbol if it’s the title of the book. It means you shouldn’t kill a mockingbird because they don’t do anything wrong and are just innocent creatures. This is obviously symbolized by the trial of Tom Robinson. He is clearly an innocent person, but still ends of dying because of the verdict of the trial. Miss Maudie says “They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us”(119) which is what Tom Robinson did for Miss Ewell. All he did was help her, but when she “sinned” and tried to seduce Tom she couldn’t think of what to do so she just blamed the innocent man. The next major symbol of the book is the character of Boo Radley. Boo Radley is never proved to be a bad person to the children, but they still have a negative perspective on him. Scout and jem later on see that he is a decent person when Boo fixes Jem’s pants. Jem says “somebody knew you were comin’ back for ‘em”(78). This confuses them, but they start to see as a more real person instead of a made up
Although the reader may not be aware of all the symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird, several are exceptionally noticeable. Atticus, without a doubt, symbolizes honorable morals and logical thinking. While the Mockingbird evidently depicts innocence and justice, there are several characters used to represent the Mockingbird. While the last symbol, the snowman, was not as evident as the other two, the snowman not only represents that Jem understands white and black people are the same but also symbolizes ethics. Scout innocently states, “Jem, I ain’t ever heard of a nigger snowman”(89). Jem replies with “He won’t be black long.”(89) Scout unintentionally uses a racist comment, but Jem shows that all people are equal by covering the mud with white
The symbols that are used in literature can have a large impact on the story and what the reader pulls out from the story. If there was no symbol used in To Kill a Mockingbird, people would miss a lot of the story going on and they may not see the more innocent side of the story. Although symbols are used in many different forms, the one used in To Kill a Mockingbird made the story what it was. The mockingbird gave the story a whole different approach. By using a symbol in the story, the author was able to make th...
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird: The Significance of a Mockingbird In a society surrounded by corruption, racism, and cruelty it is rare to find purity. Innocence is constantly being destroyed. For this reason, the harmless citizens need to be treasured and protected. Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays the injustices of the 1930’s that expose the innocent to the malice of the society’s intentions. Some characters in the novel are characterized as harmless and pure and are symbolized by mockingbirds.
Besides the main and infamous symbols of the novel such as the Mockingbird, symbolism is shown through other parts of the narrative. For example, the snowman that Jem and Scout build has various symbolic meanings. Because of the lack of snow available to them, they must build the foundation of the snowman with mud, and then they cover it with white snow in order to make it actually look like a snowman. They see the resemblance between their creation and their neighbour. ’Mr. Avery’s sort of shaped like a snowman, ain’t he?’. Mr Avery is a cruel character to the children. The snowman can be seen as symbolic of people, like Mr Avery, who have white skin, but inside, their heart is black. The burning of the snowman foreshadows how Atticus ‘destroyed his (Mr Ewell’s) last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with’, and how his true intentions were revealed. Another symbolism of the snowman is that it is made of black mud and white snow, they complete each other to make a full snowman. It symbolises how black and white people should coexist and work together harmoniously. Jem questions the racial prejudice, saying ‘If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?’ In addition, the snowman can be seen as symbolic of the foundations of a white society being based on
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