Essay On Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee uses symbolism extensively throughout To Kill a Mockingbird,, and much of it refers to the problems of racism in the South during the early twentieth century. Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism and allegory can be seen by studying various examples from the book, namely the actions of the children, of the racist whites, and of Atticus Finch.

Think of the saying, “you are the apple of my eye”. Most of today’s society understands that somebody is referring to someone that they cherish above all else. This phrase is a common metaphor that is used all around the world. Many times authors use a metaphor to convey a message without telling it right out to the reader. This technique is used by Harper Lee in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The title of the novel refers to persecution of the innocent which is highlighted by showcasing Arthur Radley as the mockingbird of the story, and the oppression of refugees relates this metaphor to today’s society.

In the nineteenth century, mockingbirds were kept in cages so they could sing their beautiful music. Because of this, mockingbirds were nearly almost wiped out of parts of the East Coast. All Mockingbirds do is bring beauty to the world. Mockingbirds symbolize innocence and do not deserve to be wounded by the cruelness of the world. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Dill, Mayella Ewell, Mr. Dolphus Raymond, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are all mockingbirds. They are innocent people that have been harmed or injured in the past and have learned the misery of the world.

A composer uses their text to explore themes that are pertinent to the human condition to highlight their purpose and message. This concept of exploring themes becomes ignited in To Kill A Mockingbird (1960). In her text, Lee maintains the essence of society during the civil rights movement and the Great Depression. She embarks on a journey to present the consequences of a society built on bigotry, prejudice and racism through the theme of the coexistence of good and evil. Lee’s purpose is to raise awareness and make society recognize its mistreatment of others through critiquing the Southern States of America through the microcosm of Maycomb.

Harper Lee use of symbolism is extent and throughout the major events in To Kill a Mockingbird to show the details behind the events. A seven-year old girl, Scout, tells the story and symbols may not be as obvious to her as it would the reader. Lee uses the camellias, courage, and the mockingbird as important symbols in the book. Lee uses symbolism throughout the book making it overt and obvious.

The author writes, “‘Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. ‘Your father’s right,’ she said. ‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’” This is when the idea of the mockingbird being a symbol throughout the novel comes into play. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee paints a picture of certain characters being mockingbirds. Many can be identified, such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and even Atticus Finch. All three were innocents that were attacked by evil, thus being mockingbirds.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, symbolism is used to show the innocence of the children and the innocence of some people. There are a few main children in this story. The main characters are, Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, Jeremy Atticus, "Jem" Finch, Charles Baker "Dill" Harris, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Boo symbolizes innocence even though he isn't a child anymore. The mockingbird also symbolizes innocence.

The mockingbird is used as a symbol throughout Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In the book, it states several times that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. This is because mockingbirds do us no harm and sing beautiful music for us to enjoy. It would be a sin to kill something so innocent and pure. Therefore, the mockingbird is symbolic of both the loss of innocence and the unjust persecution of the innocent. There are symbolic mockingbirds that are represented by many people throughout the novel, such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem and Scout Finch.

“‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’” (Lee 103). Published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird reflects life in the Jim Crow South. The novel follows the life of Scout Finch as she learns about racism in her hometown of Maycomb through her father defending a black man, Tom Robinson, in a rape case. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a prevalent symbol of a mockingbird. Multiple characters are compared with the songbird when they face injustice in their life; likewise, killing a mockingbird is unjust as they do nothing wrong but sing beautiful music. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, Boo

It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird said Atticus Finch, a person in To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, who is admired for his courage to stick to his morals, no matter what people in his town say. This title shows the main reasoning and the direction of the story and that is why the title of the novel is so fitting. This novel has two main narrative strands and both have a fitting character that shows the symbolic meaning of a mockingbird, innocence and benevolence.

The difference between a child and an adult’s state of mind is their naivety and their innocence. A child is born unknowing to all of the troubles and hardships in the world. As they grow up, their life experiences make them lose innocence as they come to realize the realities in the world. Charles Dickens and Harper Lee use the literary elements of symbolism and character development to exemplify the theme that finding one’s identity comes from childhood experiences in the novels To Kill a Mockingbird and Great Expectations.

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, themes and central ideas of the novel are emphasized by subtle symbols. Symbols shown throughout the novel not only represent concrete objects but also ideas, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes of the characters. Some symbols even represent more than one thing. Lee's recurring use of symbols contribute to the underlying themes and ideas of the novel. Lee's unusual title is a symbol itself and it keeps the reader in anticipation while waiting for a mockingbird to enter the story. Symbols contribute to literature by causing the reader to examine the piece of work and look for meanings other than the literal one. In To Kill a

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, is a story that takes place in the south of the U.S in the 1930’s during the time of the great depression when racism was at it’s highest. To kill a mockingbird is a story of destroyed innocence where the mockingbird is used to represent the idea of innocence. Harper Lee portrays the theme that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird through Tom Robinson, Arthur Radley and Jeremy Atticus’ loss of innocence because they are symbolic mockingbirds.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book thick with symbolism and metaphors. It is a debatable fact that Scout, the female protagonist, is a symbol for innocence. Though the validity of her symbol is in doubt, I am certain that the symbol in this novel for injured faith, or broken innocence, is Boo Radley. That puts in question the reason why Boo continues to amble down the same road of apathy while Scout is being led down the path to unbiased maturity. I believe that Atticus, the father figure in the novel, is the subtle influence that raises Scout to be aware of the immoral actions around her but not to accept them. Prejudice corrupts a child’s progression of innocence to maturity, but Atticus keeps his children from assuming the attitudes of the townspeople.

A symbol is something that is used to represent something else. In literature, symbols can be objects, characters, ideas, or even colors that are used to represent larger concepts. Symbolism utilized broadly all through Harper Lee's timeless classic, To Kill a Mockingbird and it refers to the issues of bigotry in the South during the early twentieth century. Symbolism can be traced in almost every important episode or event which formulates the story line. Many of the main thoughts and focuses were put crosswise over through hidden meanings and phrases. The title appears to have almost nothing to do with the real book, yet it is profoundly typical to the plot. Throughout the book, honest individuals are harmed or demolished by evil. The imagery uncovers the prejudice and narrow-mindedness of the citizens of Maycomb County, their fears and the corrupt things they did. To Kill a Mockingbird has many estimations of correspondence at first glance; the hidden meanings and symbolism allow it to take a more significant position than one might notice right away. In this story, the author uses the Mockingbird as an image of innocence. Like hunters who kill mockingbirds for a game, people kill innocence or other people who are innocent, without contemplating what they are doing. Atticus stands firm with all due respect, of innocence and urges his children not to shoot mockingbirds both literally and figuratively. A few notable