To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a powerful novel that explores the widespread racial discrimination in 1930’s Alabama. Throughout the novel rarely is Alabama’s racism bridged, with the exception of three main protagonists Scout Finch, her brother Jem Finch and their Father Atticus. Lee’s use of symbolism, foreshadowing and irony present the consequences of the loss of innocence and the penalties that racial prejudice can have on a community. Throughout the novel Lee employs symbolism to how the small town of maycomb Alabama are petrified of any cultural variance. Point: Whilst Tom and Boo embody the theme of mockingbirds the two individual mockingbirds represent two different “socially unacceptable” ends of the spectrum. Tom …show more content…
Despite his acts of kindness to the children, including gifts of a “broken old pocket watch” and the reparation of Jem’s pants, he goes unacknowledged by the children. Boo, a man forced into solitude. Symbolises a mockingbird who was abused at the hand of his own father. Like boo, tom struggles with the power mishap of cruelty from someone in a higher social standing. The children’s growth is full recognised when boo’s act of protection at the end of the novel epitomises not only his strong moral nature. But finally the children realise that boo radley is not the gothic themed “six and a half” feet tall, squirrel-eating monster their innocence portrayed him to be, and instead is a kind man who ultimately save the lives of both kids. This epidemic leads scout to the conclusion that punishing boo for him chivalry acts “would be like shootin’ a mockingbird wouldn’t it?” Comment: through the use of the mockingbird metaphor Lee carefully portrays the inequality in maycomb. Through the innocent, unfiltered eyes of scout, boo and tom are portrayed as the personifications of good who were destroyed by evil. The intention of this stylist feature was to expose the nature of mankind to be stereotypical and show prejudice towards others, rather than empathetic and understanding. Lee also highlights how misunderstanding …show more content…
When the rabies-infested dog is first shot by Atticus and is witnessed by his two children, they perceive their father as radically changed. With their only perception as their father as a sensible, respectable man who is true to his beliefs and wise interpretation of the world. Evidence: In killing the ‘mad dog’ the first initial reaction leaves the reader with an ironical sense of “why would Atticus do a cruel thing like that?” feeling. This concept is an idyllic symbol that represents the whole society of Maycomb as a whole. There is the way Atticus is indeed against using a gun normally as it “gives him an unfair advantage over nature”, however, since he knew he had to terminate the rabid dog and keep it from harm to anyone, he did it. Comment: This scene foreshadows multiple things. First, the fear that the dog puts into the neighbourhood foreshadows the fear that many feel towards Tom and the Negroes in the community. Most people hide from the dog and often avoided confrontation with the black community as well. Secondly, it foreshadows the fate of Tom and his trial. The dog is running around and then shot just as Tom will be running from the courthouse and shot, the dogs’ name, coincidentally is also Tim Johnson, which is remarkably similar to tom Robinson.
The pages which precede the mad dog incident tell of Scout’s embarrassment over the fact that her father is somewhat older the father of her peers. Atticus wears glasses and reads rather than hunting and playing football like the father’s of many of her friends. Scout’s opinion is drastically changed, however, when Tim Robinson, an old dog, turns up, walking down the street towards the Finch’s house. It is immediately obvious that Tim is not healthy, and it soon becomes apparent that he is in fact rabid, and thus highly dangerous. Heck Tate, the sheriff, soon arrives, bringing with him a rifle which he hands to Atticus. Although he is initially unwilling, Atticus realises his duty to his community, and shoots the mad dog. Maudie Atkinson later tells Scout and Jem that Atticus was once “the deadest shot in Maycomb County”(Lee, 112). The children are shocked that their seemingly boring and non-violent father was actually a great marksman.
Within Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Lee creates a sense of unconformity through the characterization of Atticus being lawful and supportive on the idea of mutual concessions which separates him from the social norms of being a man in Maycomb.
One leading symbol in the book To Kill a Mockingbird is the mad dog, Tim Johnson. He represents the once-friendly, but now dangerous and mad town of Maycomb. It transformed when the “rape” of Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman, by the black man known as Tom Robinson. Interconnecting with a later symbol in the book, the children are the first to spot the mad dog. Unlike the racist town of Maycomb, however, he is shot by Atticus, but Atticus does have the conflict with both the town and the dog. According to Mike-Krupp, a commenter on the web page, “his confidence and his willingness to go into danger are part of his motivation for defending Tom Robinson against a public opinion that is repugnant to him.” The mad dog is also a symbol for Tom Robinson,
The first literary element is setting. The setting of the Rabid dog scene is in Maycomb County in front of the finches house, looking down the road. The kids see the Rabid dog, tell Calpurnia, then Cal called Atticus. Atticus then came home with Sheriff Heck Tate, and Sheriff Tate handed Atticus a rifle. The Children were confused because they had already claimed that “Atticus can’t shoot”. Then in one shot, Atticus killed the dog. Jem and Scout were shocked, and later found out from Ms. Maudie, that Atticus was the best shot in Maycomb, and his Nickname was One-Shot Finch.
Whether by the way they act, the things they know, or the way they look; Boo, Scout, and Tom are not the same as the others in Maycomb. All three are wrongly treated because of pre-formed ideas about who they are or how they should be. To Kill a Mockingbird shows us, in many examples, how the ideas someone holds must be examined for truth. It illustrates the point that we hold our opinions as fact, and let them cloud our judgment, so that we act on feelings and ignore reason and evidence. It is because of such unfounded beliefs that truth becomes scarce and injustice
Another example of racism in the story was when the police guards fatally shot Tom seventeen times. Instead of trying to capture him in a less violent way, the guards used excessive force on him. The way Tom was shot to death, showed how much hatred the police had toward colored people (Lee 235). Finally, the county expressed racism towards Tom’s wife Helen. She was discriminated against because she was a colored women and her husband was accused of rape.
Tom is represented as one of the novels “mockingbird”, and portrays the important symbol of innocence destroyed by evil. Boo Radley is a man who never steps foot outside his house. He dominates the imagination of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is the powerful symbol of goodness and creepiness. Boo is an
To Kill a Mockingbird is known for it’s many conflicts, including racial prejudice, murder, and a rape trial. These conflicts are truly immoral and reprehensible acts, however they demonstrate strong examples of moral courage throughout the book. One of the conflicts of the book takes place in chapter ten. In this chapter an enraged dog wreaks havoc on the neighborhood, causing all the neighbors to run indoors out of fear. Atticus, Scout and Jem’s father, is called to help put the dog down, as he is known for being one of the best shooters
Since the dog carries a disease that would harm Atticus’ kids, he protects his kids from it by telling them to go inside and killing the dog himself. This relates to how Atticus tries to constantly keep his kids from the racism bias that lurks in their society. This scene also reveals how heavily the town relies on Atticus, and how they cannot do anything without the assistance of Atticus. When officer Heck Tate arrives to the scene, he throws Atticus the gun and remarks that, “‘I’d feel mighty comfortable if you did now’” (Lee 127).
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird has some strong use of language and startling themes such as domestic violence and racism. Lee writes this story in the southern county of Maycomb, where many of the people there have what is called, “Maycomb’s usual disease”. This “disease” is the racism that is in many people’s opinions on black people. The people who live in this town are ranked from the Finch family being the highest in rank, Ewells being the lower rank, and negroes being the lowest. Harper Lee has expressed very strong emotions when she describes the harsh conflict in the town of Maycomb.
A mad dog can be an extremely harmful animal because it lost control of its senses and actions. Its scary nature forces the society to eliminate it. Harper Lee shows the struggle that is about to unleash in the narrative of the story. The craziness that is well spread in the society. It must be controlled or it will lead to complete destruction of hope for the innocent blacks. There is no room for dangers and destructive forces in society. The one to stop this fear is Atticus . Shooting the mad dog proves that it is Atticus who will take that step to ensure that justice will be handled. He has complete control of the situation and with a shot he destroys any fear lurking in the city. This is later proved in his powerful arguments against injustice
To Kill a Mockingbird, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel has taught many people about the reality of life in the mid 1900’s and is a book that captures the attention of the reader as soon as they first pick it up. This amazing book written by Harper Lee is set in a small town called Maycomb, which is located in Alabama. It is set in the 1930’s a time between the rush of the roaring twenties and the distress of World War II in the 1940’s. This was a time when the economy was low and money was scarce for both races, Whites and African Americans. The cruelty of racism still loomed over communities and this had a huge impact on the children of this decade. To Kill a Mockingbird exhibits the harsh cruelty of racism and stereotyping throughout a community through tangent events and show the impact it has on children’s innocence through the perspective of Scout and Jem Finch. These two children of a respected lawyer are forced to face the cruelty of violence and racism while their father fights for the justice of an African American who has been charged with the rape of a white girl. The Great Depression in the 1930’s is accurately portrayed in Harper Lee’s novel through the representation of families seeking financial aid due to scarcity of money, the methods of payments that many families had to use and also the hostility and prejudice attitudes that were between the citizens of many families in Maycomb during this time. Many people are shown struggling in this novel due to this
The title To Kill a Mockingbird is very significant to the novel as it portrays many forms of mockingbirds throughout it. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the true Mockingbirds of the story. They both are innocent from the accusations claimed upon them.
The setting of a novel enables us to come to an understanding as to why certain events happen under circumstances and will eventually inform us about the novels important themes. In a discriminating society of unequal prejudice rights and morals, Harper Lee’s novel “To kill a mockingbird” raises key themes that are introduced into the readers many ideals and morals. The book's exploration of the moral nature of human beings is emphasized through the setting that Harper lee enforces, inspiring us to oppose and inculcate unacceptable values portrayed in the setting.The novel is set in Maycomb , a small stagnant town south of Alabama during the 1930s. The time period in which the great depression and the early years of the abolishment of slavery were still apparent. Maycomb is just a little town, set in its old ways
The themes of racism and growing up are significant in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, is trying to defend a black man who has been falsely accused in a trial. His children Scout and Jem don’t understand a lot of the racism occurring in the beginning, but slowly start to realize that people are being discriminated against and understand what they may be going through as they grow up and mature. How is discrimination infectious? It can influence the young by family and/or society. Atticus’s children Scout and Jem, are brought up with the values of non-discrimination and these values will help them go far in life. Through the characters of Scout and Jem, Harper Lee demonstrates that when growing up, people who are exposed to discrimination are encouraged to discriminate in return.