How Does Harper Lee Use Figurative Language In To Kill A Mockingbird

Lee uses a rhetorical device, polysyndeton, to reinforce her tone towards Atticus. Throughout the novel, Lee has been affection and loving towards Atticus, through all the trials and tribulations that he has put her through. This final page reinforces the idea that Scout loves Atticus and does not blame him for the hard times that she has gone through. Scout still feels trust and safety in Atticus as she describes that “his voice was so deep and his knee was so snug that I slept” showing that she is still comfortable with him (Page 375-376). Readers understand that Scout has no true understanding of what happened over the last few months in her life, but as she tells this story looking back she understands and knows what Atticus did was right.

Personification: a concept or object given human traits, actions, or feelings. “But what had befallen the night? The moon was not yet set, and we were all in shadow: I could barely see my master’s face, near as I was. And what ailed the chestnut tree? It writhed and groaned; while wind roared in the laurel walk, and came sweeping over us.”

Allusions are widely used in many famous pieces of literature. To Kill a Mockingbird, Old Man in the Sea, and Frankenstein are just some of the many books in which allusions play a substantial role. By analyzing allusions and symbolism in these books, the reader can connect fiction with real life. Although numerous people are oblivious to allusions, they play a large role in establishing the bigger picture of a story. Allusions within literature give the reader insight to what the author is really trying to get across because every story has a deeper meaning.

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird uses allusions to relate the setting of the story to life in the United States. Throughout the novel, Lee shows a reference to the Bible and Christ. During this period, many of the people were familiar with biblical stories and parables. There were three quotes which stood out, “Let this cup pass from you”(Lee 117) “Garden of Gethsemane” (Lee 159), and, “The girl said she didn’t want to play Shadrach anymore” (156). Lee uses Biblical references to allow the readers have an understanding how the characters feel, throughout the book.

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.

Within a chapter of the story, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, a young pair of siblings find various items inside of a knothole in a tree. But as they took the items, more would appear inside of the knothole the next day. The siblings soon want to return the favour by leaving a letter of thanks for the person putting the “gifts” in for them. This knothole is a way the siblings use to try to communicate to the other person leaving the items. Due to the way the knothole is used, it symbolizes mysterious nature of the person leaving the items inside of the hole. “‘Don’t take it, Jem,’ I said. ’This is somebody’s hidin’ place’” (Lee 78). The siblings do not know the reason behind the items in the tree at first, further showing how the

Whether it is in literature or even shown in pictures, people use things to represent something with a deeper meaning and that’s called symbolism. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by author Harper Lee, various different themes or symbols are active throughout the book either directly, or more often, obscurely being tied to the ultimate theme of the book, which is not being able to understand someone until you experience life from their point of view. The most apparent reoccurring theme though is equality because of the fact it’s symbolized through people, birds, and even inanimate objects that Scout and Jem encounter over the course of the book in the tree that turns out to play a bigger part of the story as the story progresses. Sometimes, these symbols are obvious to the reader and other times, they’re not, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not an infinite number of ways to analyze or interpret those same symbols and the meanings behind them. By doing this, the reader is able to get a better and deeper sense of what Lee was truly trying to say and their connections to the story and the way they help make the reader experience being physically at the time of the 1930’s. Equality was and still is a problem as reflected in the book, but it’s the way Lee brings those symbols to our attention that makes us realize how close to the exact same spot we were over 80 years ago that is able to make the reader that much more intrigued.

In American novelist Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist, Scout’s innocence keeps her from seeing how the real world truly is. Her lack of awareness gets her into trouble; she tries to defend a classmate by saying he cannot afford anything because of he does not have anything, which gets her punished. Scout’s ignorance is due to her age and bringing up and her thinking is not yet stricken with the idea of social class; so she is not fully alert to what social status is suppose to be. Just like Scout, a young girl named Alice is not aware of what is the world is really like. Alice’s innocence leads her to discover thoughts about herself and the world around her. In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, the author uses

Within the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee uses a variety of literary devices. The author uses literary devices to make a connection with the reader and so they can understand it from different perspectives. Literary devices used in the story help make it interesting so the reader wants to read the book. It may also cause the reader to think about what is actually happening. Another reason the author uses literary terms is to create a visual for the reader. Using imagery will keep a picture in the reader’s mind and they can understand the piece to a greater extent. Imagery can be described with the five senses that we use; taste, touch, smell, sound, and sight. In addition, the author can generate realistic thoughts for the reader of something that may have happened to them and they can connect to the story. By the author creating realistic thoughts, the reader can establish their feeling for the story. Although many literary devices are represented in this novel, symbolism develops a representation of an idea in the story in order to create a picture in the reader’s head.

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, many symbolic references are made. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent the ideas of a story. The most important theme in the novel is the mockingbird. Harper Lee uses mockingbirds to benefit the readers, so they have a better understanding of the novel.

Good symbolism is arguably a key attribute for a great novel. An author who effectively knows how to leave unspoken meaning behind objects usually so ordinary, for readers to interpret and understand, is one worthy. Said symbolism is can be, not only for the audience’s anazlyzation, but also for the writer to develop or emphasize themes, which is what Harper Lee did in her novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee effectively uses the mockingbird as a symbol to develop key themes social injustice and family.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is very in depth when it comes to symbolism. One could not read through the novel and not notice at least one symbol hidden in the text. Harper Lee did an excellent job when writing the novel. Taking years to fully compose, it is no wonder why the novel in it's essance is so well done. The story is so intertwined and complex on many levels. The complexity is mainly caused by the symbols used by Harper Lee.

Throughout the whole novel Lee uses many forms of figurative language to paint a picture in the reader’s head. The use of figurative language brings life to a story in ways you wouldn’t believe possible; and Lee proves that. Many forms of this could be used to paint this picture, such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole, imagery, personification, along with many others. Without it a story with an amazing plot and well developed characters can be turned into a boring blob of words on a paper. But when an author, such as Lee, puts a little more time into a work the words come off the page and play a movie through you head; the story becomes a second part of you, you go through the problems with the characters as if you were their shadow following

Personification is giving something that’s nonliving human characteristics. The definition fits exactly the way this poet uses it. “Seeing the snowman standing all alone in the dusk and cold is more than he can bear.” The word “he” gives evidence that this snowman is portrayed with human attribute. “The man of snow is, nonetheless, content, having no wish to go inside and die”

To Kill A Mockingbird takes place during the 1930’s, a time of intense racial inequity and prejudice. Harper Lee intends for the novel to display the harsh reality to the real world, and exhibit how life and society were really like during this period in history. Humanity’s views and morals have shown little sign of ever being able to accept change or difference as seen in particular issues such as racism, discrimination, sexism, prejudice etc. Whilst reading the novel, readers can identify these well-known problems and maybe even relate to some of the ideas that Lee is portraying.  Lee uses symbols to effectively communicate and express her thoughts and opinions on the various themes of the book. Moreover, these symbols are able to tap into the subconscious mind to implement ideas that can be analyzed in order to understand their relevance to not only the plot line and major theme topics of the novel: appearance versus reality, conscience and integrity, and loss of innocence, but also to modern society.