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Use of symbolism to kill a mockingbird
Use of symbolism to kill a mockingbird
Use of symbolism to kill a mockingbird
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In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many themes are used.
Coexistence of Good and Evil
One of the first themes that the reader was introduced to was the Coexistence of Good and Evil. This theme is the book’s exploration of human beings, which is whether people have good qualities or bad qualities. One way this was shown was by Scout and Jem’s transition from childhood innocence, where they have never seen evil, to an adult perspective. This transition helps them get a better understanding of the world. It also portrays how prejudice and hatred is directed to the innocent people of the town of Maycomb. These innocent people would be the mockingbirds of the novel. The two main innocent people would be Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.
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Atticus Finch Atticus Finch, the father of Scout and Jem, is the one person who would come to my mind when I think of someone with the moral voice in Maycomb. Atticus has experienced and understood evil and believes there is goodness in everyone. He believes that people have both good and bad qualities; they are not either good or evil. It’s important to appreciate the good qualities and try to see the bad qualities from their perspective (Slide 1 Notes) In this slide, I have 3 images that depict the idea of Good and Evil.
On the right I have the quote, “When there is Light, There is Shadow”
This shows how when there are good qualities there are also evil qualities. In the middle, the image shows how good and evil is balanced, and how good and evil qualities exist in human beings. On the left is probably the most precise quote I’ve found. It is a quote by William Shakespeare, “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones” This explains how an evil act will always stay with you no matter what. But a good act may be forgotten.
Social Status
In Maycomb there are huge differences between social status’. The Finches stand near the top in maycomb, followed by the townspeople, then the ignorant country farmers beneath them, with the Ewells following them, and last the black community. The fact that the black community falls under the white trash Ewells permits Bob Ewell to persecute Tom Robinson. An example of the social hierchy is the snowman that Jem and Scout built. They used mud as the base of the snowman because there wasn’t as much snow for them to use. On top of the mud was the snow which represented the white community overpowering the black
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community. Mockingbird The title of the book, To Kill a Mockingbird has a very literal connection to the plot.
The “Mockingbird” represents the innocence in Maycomb, which would mainly represent Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. To Kill a Mockingbird would be to destroy innocence. Some other important mockingbirds are Jem, Tom Robinson, Dill, Boo Radley, and Mr. Raymond. In the end of the novel, Scout says that hurting Boo would be like “shootin’ a mockingbird”.
Finch
Atticus, Jem, and Scout’s last name is finch. A finch is a small bird with black and white feathers. Ones with color are females. These birds can sing very well too as well as mockingbirds. These birds represent that the family is vulnerable in the racist world of Maycomb, which treats childhood innocence harshly.
Boo Radley
Last but not least, lets talk about Arthur Radley, also known as Boo Radley. If you think back to the beginning of the book, you will remember how Boo was a source of childhood superstition. When Jem’s pants got stuck, someone mends them. The unknown random gifts also play a part in making Boo real to Jem and Scout. All of Boo’s acts are not recognized as things he has done by the author. But the reader knows that these mysterious acts have been done by Boo even though the author doesn’t tell the reader immediately. Towards the end of the novel, he becomes real to Scout as an understanding and sympathetic individual. He was ruined by his father when young, but still turned out to have a pure heart. This shows how good
exists in people. Boo Radley becomes the ultimate symbol of good after saving Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell. "An' they chased him 'n' never could catch him 'cause they didn't know what he looked like, an' Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any of those things... Atticus, he was real nice...." "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." (31.55)
What does it mean to be a good parent? The most common definition of a good parent is one who makes their children feel valued and loved, by teaching them the difference between right and wrong. At the end of the day, the most essential thing is to create a nurturing environment where your children feel like they can mature into confident, independent, and caring adults. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird defines what a true parent really is thought hardships and struggles throughout the book. The story is set in the Depression era of a little town in southern Alabama that is struggling with thick prejudice on a colored rape case. The story is told through a character
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of the struggle of a white family facing discrimination for defending a black man. Scout and Jem are two young children living in Maycomb, believing that everyone is like their father, Atticus, who embodies justice and equality. Atticus takes on the case of defending Tom Robinson, a man who is being charged with raping a white woman. Before the trial, the Finches are forced to withstand torment from the townspeople. Their beliefs are shaken when a black man is given a rigged trial and he is innocent.
The novel that will be discussed in then next few paragraphs will be the well known To Kill A Mocking Bird written by Harper Lee. The shown theme of the essay is Scouts loss of innocence as the novel progresses. Scout, the main character of the novel is put in front of many obstacles in order to see the innocence slowly fade before her eyes in to a box of racial, prejudice, single story evils. This is clearly portrayed throughout the novel to show how many different events can contribute to these ideas. There are many factors that contribute to these ideas such as the results of the court case that made scout see the world differently. Even when Jem said the sentence "There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind, like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negros."(302) Scout was influenced by this sentence because she looked up to her brother. That one sentence changed her point of view on her way of life. Instead of just seeing the world the way she had thought it up to be in her head, this single story implanted a new idea in to her head, affecting the way she thought. Scouts innocence though seemed to be attacked countless times by the evil that progresses in the book is not destroyed in the end because she is able to overcome the obstacles in her way to see the goodness in life and is able to overlook the single story told to her about Boo Radley when he finally reveals himself.
From the rumors they have heard about him, he seems like a mysteriously strange human being. They want to get to know him as he leaves them surprises in the tree, and even saves Jem’s life (Best). Finally, Scout decided to put herself in Boo Radley’s shoes. She began to see the outlook on his side. Kasper says, “Scout at last begins to see Boo Radley as a human being.” (Kasper).
The way in which humans come to be understanding, compassionate individuals is a process demonstrated constantly throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, a famous novel written by Harper Lee, taking place in the 1930’s during the Great Depression in Maycomb County, Alabama. The story is told from the young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch’s perspective, and tracks the development of her and her older brother Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch, from innocent to understanding. The negative influences which Jem and Scout experience, including the racially charged case of Tom Robinson, lead the children to have a new, more experienced perspective on human nature. People like Atticus Finch, Jem and Scout’s father, help the children to make sense of this part of human essence, teaching them important life lessons, such as to make judgments carefully: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” (39). Atticus continuously counsels Jem and Scout to consider another’s perspective before making assumptions, because that is the only genuine way in which you come to know an individual. Ultimately, because Jem and Scout learn to understand the sinful nature of Bob Ewell, to appreciate the wisdom of Atticus, and come to recognize the selfless actions of Arthur “Boo” Radley, the children mature into more caring, sympathetic young people.
Throughout the books Huckleberry Finn, Othello, and To Kill a Mockingbird certain characters challenge what the status quo was at that time. They go against what the norm was and go against what other characters think. This causes controversy and is a major part of the plot in all three books. The main way that these 3 books challenge the status quo for that time is through race. Many of the characters are against what is viewed as normal and have views that were known as radical at that time. The main way their views are different is certain white characters view black people in the books in a positive way and are willing to associate themselves with them even though that is against what most people thought was right. Throughout each
“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 is a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 94). This quote, delivered in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, introduces the mockingbird which is incorporated symbolically throughout the novel. The mockingbird, in presenting its gifts of music and beauty, is the symbol of Atticus’s practice of altruism because he believes in society’s responsibility to protect those who are vulnerable and innocent.
Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are mockingbirds, innocent souls that are judged based on the discrimination and intolerance of the townspeople. The citizens of Maycomb judge Tom Robinson based on the color of his skin and refused to listen to the truth of his innocence. Boo Radley never does harm to anyone, yet the town criticizes him for his wrong doings. These men are destroyed by the perceptions of the people around them. Tom and Boo embody all that the mockingbird represents and consequently demonstrate how the opinions of others can alter the lives of the innocent.
“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.
In the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, there is many forms of showing social hierarchy in the town and county of Maycomb, Alabama. Tom Robinson, the Ewells, and the Cunninghams are three examples in this novel that explain the social types in the country at the time. People will criticize others even though they don’t know how their lives really are or how they are treated at home when no one is around. People in the 1930s believed that all men are created equal. The ancestors of these people were taught that only whites were created equal and blacks were considered inferior to whites who were considered higher in rank than blacks.
To Kill a Mockingbird is about two children, Scout and Jem, growing up in a town called Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930's. Neighbors and a man next door with the name of Boo Radley make up most of the drama and suspense throughout the story. Scout and Jem put up with a bunch of trash talk when their father, Atticus, defends a black person. As the novel goes on, the children loose their innocence. They learn the injustice of the world when Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape, was convicted guilty. Harper Lee uses the symbol of the mockingbird to show that justice back in the old days isn't always the way it should be, but the exact opposite by using her characters as "mockingbirds." She wants to tell us that prejudice is more powerful than an equal legal system.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Jem has the personality trait of being a good older brother. In Chapter 9, Atticus is talking to Uncle Jack about Scout and brings up Jem in the conversation. “Jem’s getting older and she follows his example a good bit now.” (Lee, pg. 116) This shows how Jem has the personality trait of being a good older brother because Jem is a good kid and he makes a good example for Scout to follow. If he continues to be a good example to Scout, she will learn from him in good ways. In Chapter 10, Jem and Scout go out exploring together with their air rifles. “...Jem and I decided to go exploring with our air rifles.” (Lee, pg. 122) This quote shows that Jem has the trait of being a good older brother
The first theme is the coexistence of good and evil throughout the story. The way the book shows the moral nature of people, essentially their good and bad sides. The book further promotes this theme by using the transformation of Scout and Jem view of childhood innocence, in which they believe that everybody is good, because they have never been exposed to evil, to a more adult view, in which they have been exposed to many types of evil and have to apply it to their thinking. An important subtheme of this book involves the danger that, hatred, prejudice, and ignorance pose to many innocent people. The people in the book affected by this are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. These two are unprepared for the evil they were exposed and as a result they were mentally destroyed. Jem is also experiences the same affect when he discovers the evil of racism, in which his faith in justice and humanity is lost. However, Scout retains her faith in justice and humanity, because the case had no effect on her. In this book, the voice of morality is Atticus Finch, who already experiences and understands evil, but does not lose faith in humanity’s capacity to be good. He understands that everybody basically has both good and bad qualities, but it is more important to appreciate the good ones. The view of the world is the ...
Scout Finch, the youngest child of Atticus Finch, narrates the story. It is summer and her cousin Dill and brother Jem are her companions and playmates. They play all summer long until Dill has to go back home to Maridian and Scout and her brother start school. The Atticus’ maid, a black woman by the name of Calpurnia, is like a mother to the children. While playing, Scout and Jem discover small trinkets in a knothole in an old oak tree on the Radley property.
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, 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.