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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…
laborious favors for Mayella without being paid a penny. When he is being questioned in court, his employer rises up to say, “that boy’s worked for me eight years an’ I ain’t had a speck o’touble outa him.
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…
ignorance. Along these lines, the shooting of Tom Robinson can be likened to the shooting of a mockingbird, as they are both benevolent creatures undeserving of their deaths. Besides Tom Robinson, Boo Radley can also be considered to represent the mockingbird motif.
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
119). This quote indicates that the mockingbird is a selfless, generous creature, which are traits that Boo shares. The last way Boo can be compared to the mockingbird is that it is considered a sin to harm or disturb either of them. As previously explained, tt is a sin to kill a mockingbird because it is an innocent animal, and in correlation, it is a sin to inflict misfortune on the guileless Arthur Radley. In this case, literal death is not the “shooting of the mockingbird” for Boo, but rather the choice to force him into the spotlight. Boo saves Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell, yet Atticus and Heck Tate decide to make a cover-up story to conceal Boo’s role in the incident. Heck says he decides this because “taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight - to me, that’s a sin” (Lee 370). This statement exhibits how it is considered immoral to force society onto a reclusive man such as Boo, which corresponds with the immorality of shooting a mockingbird. Unlike the death of Tom Robinson, the characters of the book avoid “shooting the mockingbird”, and exempt Boo from the story of what happened that Halloween night. One mockingbird is killed, and one mockingbird is spared. Ultimately, one can evaluate that Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley are representations of the mockingbird symbol.
He is a mockingbird because he does no harm to anybody except for Bob Ewell. Mockingbirds don't do harm, rather they bring pleasure and comfort to people. Atticus even says "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Lee 90). He says this because Mockingbirds are so innocent just like Boo. Miss Maudie even adds to Atticus saying "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" (Lee 90). This quote relates to Boo because instead of singing, Boo was like a mockingbird in his house leaving gifts and helping the children. For example, he leaves gum and coins for the children and when Jem was running and got his pants hooked on the fence, Boo folded it nicely and left it there for him. This represents how Boo is a very innocent and loving
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
When the children were given toy guns for Christmas from their uncle, Atticus tells them that is a sin to kill a mockingbird, because mockingbirds are innocent creatures that only make pretty music and do not harm anything. Boo Radley is shown throughout the story as a gentile man when he covers Scout up with a blanket the night she was waiting on the sidewalk for the fire burning from Miss Maudie’s house to be put out. He also leaves the children presents in the knothole and saves their lives when Bob Ewell tries to kill them. His bad reputation comes from the idea that all people who isolate themselves from their communities are horrible, violent people who need to be shut off from everyone for their own safety, when in reality we are left to guess that he detaches himself from Maycomb because of some form of social anxiety or dislike of socializing. The comparison of him to a mockingbird is prominent at the end of the book, when Heck Tate is explaining to Atticus that it was Boo who killed Bob Ewell, and not Jem. He tells him that it would be best to pretend that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife because sharing the actual story would bring Boo into the spotlight, which Scout compares to being a sin as bad as killing a mockingbird. Tom Robinson also represents a Mockingbird because he is just as innocent as one. During the time when Mayella and Bob
Sometimes, people discriminate one thing, but strongly oppose the discrimination of another thing. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, this issue is very much expressed throughout the story. This thought-provoking story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during a time when there’s a rape trial against a falsely accused African American named Tom Robinson. There is also a discrimination, of sorts, towards a man named Boo Radley, by three young children named Jeremy “Jem” Finch, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and Charles “Dill” Baker Harris. Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are similar in their own ways through their inherent goodness.
...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.
Mockingbirds do no harm to anything they just sing. The two characters in this book that represents this symbol is 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 accepts him throughout the town which forces him to hide in his home. He had rumors spread about him how that he was a bad guy. But he was nothing but kind to the children and even saved their lives (Dave).
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
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
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 ...
“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.
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 this world, everyone has an equal right; however, many people are getting falsely accused of acts they did not commit even though they are innocent. Mockingbirds, one of the most innocent birds, sing their heart out for people to enjoy, however, they getting killed every day. In this novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many racial prejudices going on. Finches stand near the top of the social hierarchy, with Cunningham and Ewells underneath. Black community in Maycomb is even below the Ewells, even if they were a hard worker; they were not treated equally. The “mockingbirds” represents the idea of innocence, so killing a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Throughout the book, many characters are considered a mockingbird. Three examples are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Those three characters are innocent; they are kind and were never harmful to others. However, they were destroyed through contact of evil. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the mockingbirds symbolizes the idea of innocence, and Tom, Boo, and Mr. Raymond are considered one of it.
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
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