To Kill A Mockingbird Symbolism

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us that is why it is a sin to kill a Mockingbird” -Harper Lee Mockingbirds are only here to sing their songs and to bring us joy. A Blue Jay is someone or something that preys on the week. Mockingbirds have to be shielded from the Blue Jays. Although Mockingbirds don't always need to be protected they do have to be protected from Blue Jays because they are gentle creatures whereas the Blue Jay is territorial and corrupt.

The title of the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee holds a great deal of symbolism with several of the characters in the story acting as mockingbirds, characters who don’t do anything to bother the people around them. Harper Lee explains to the reader what a mockingbird is by making Atticus, and then Mrs. Maudie explains it to Scout. “Atticus said to Jem one day, ‘I’d rather you shoot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but 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 fathers right,’ she said. ‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music

The mockingbird in this novel is symbolized by two specific people. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus says, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” (Lee 103). It is a sin to kill one because they are kind creatures, sing beautiful songs that are helpful to pass the time, do not harm anyone or anything. The first person that the mockingbird symbolizes is Boo Radley. He is a mockingbird because

Throughout the duration of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many instances where Lee uses symbolism to help deepen our understanding of the text. This successful novel is set to show the racism of the south in the 1930s. One of the more prominent symbols would be that of the ever so famous mockingbird. You can see examples of this throughout the novel, but more specifically when Atticus says “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (page 99) The mockingbird is the symbol of innocence. It is used to link the two main plot points in the novel, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. They are the mockingbirds because they are innocents who have been destroyed by the evil of the world. This helps to deepen the understanding by connecting the importance of their characters with the innocence of the mockingbird.

“ I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” [p.119] In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, this issue is mentioned various times. There are three mockingbirds, Mayella Ewell, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.

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 why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The mockingbird is a symbol for Tom Robinson, a nice man that only wished to help others, that did nothing wrong but he was still murdered unjustly.

The light and dark represent the good and bad. The light that Atticus is holding when he is present at the jail is sort of a beacon of hope for Tom Robinson. The group that goes to the jail with the intent to hurt Tom and possibly Atticus if need be are surrounded by the nighttime darkness which can symbolize that they only had bad intentions. The jail originally does not have a light present on the outside, but Atticus brings one. For example, “A long extension cord ran between the bars of a second floor window and down the side of the building. In the light from its bare bulb. Atticus was sitting propped against the front door.” Toe explain the darkness, “In ones and twos, men got out of the cars. Shadows became substance as lights revealed

People reason that Boo has allegedly stabbed his father in the leg with scissors, and was accused of breaking the law at a young age. As the characters evolve throughout the book, Boo Radley engenders the kids to slowly realize that he is not as evil as what the citizens of Maycomb claimed him to be. Boo Radley symbolizes one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” a good person who is injured by the evil of mankind. The first time we directly see Boo break from his “evil” appearance is when Atticus tells Scout that “[s]omeday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up” (Lee 72). Scout was so engaged with Ms. Maudie’s house burning down that she did not notice Boo Radley put a blanket around her. This quote substantiates that a seemingly “awful” person, Boo Radley is not the vicious man that he has been portrayed as. Also, the quote shows that Boo is looking after the children’s lives, observing them, and looking out for any troubles they may encounter. The blanket serves as a piece of evidence that Boo is a kindhearted man who wants to be Scout and the children’s friend. This is the first time that the characters in the story consider that Boo Radley could be someone who is friendly, kind, generous, caring, and is a new development in our characters’ understanding of Boo Radley. From the children’s point of view, Boo Radley is evolving from a mysterious and frightening figure into someone who is a “true

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, different symbols are used that are reflective throughout the book either directly, or more often, obscurely being tied to the ultimate theme of the book, which is being able to understand someone from their point of view. Whether it is in literature or even shown in pictures, when people use things to represent something with a deeper meaning, it is called symbolism. The most apparent reoccurring theme though is equality because of the fact it is symbolized through people, birds, and even inanimate objects Scout and Jem encounter over the course of the book. By doing this, the reader is able to obtain a better and deeper sense of what Lee is truly trying to say, and their connections to the story and the way they help make the reader experience the time period of the 1930’s. Equality was and still is a problem as reflected in the book, but it is 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. A few examples of equality symbols in the book include: Tom Robinson, mockingbirds, Atticus Finch, and the snowman built from both mud and snow.

Harper Lee uses this technique to achieve the goal of setting up the problem. “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, 119). The mockingbird symbolizes the innocence of the town. It is a sin to kill them because all they do is bring joy and benefits to the community. They also don’t do anything wrong. For example, Boo Radley represents a mockingbird because he is innocent and nobody should do anything to hurt him. Boo Radley stayed in the house, therefore he didn’t do anything to anyone, and when he did come out, it was to help Jem and Scout since he loved them like they were his children. He liked to stay isolated and his wish should be granted since he is innocent. “Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters of children” (Lee, 323). In the book, Tom Robinson is the most obvious person that represents the mockingbird and why it is a sin to kill them. Tom Robinson symbolizes the mockingbird because he clearly didn’t rape Mayella Ewell, yet still got wrongfully accused for it, then shot to death. He helped out the town, did handywork, and wasn’t rude to anyone, proving his innocence. It is a sin that Maycomb not only found him guilty, but also shot him to death since he did nothing wrong.Harper Lee uses the technique of symbolism when talking about the mockingbirds of the community. This sets up the problem because it shows all the sins that would be committed when someone kills a mockingbird, or kills/does something mean to the innocent, helpful people of

“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” (119). Mockingbirds are a prevalent symbol of selfless and senselessly persecuted characters. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch and Scout both exemplify symbolic mockingbirds.

Birds are significant to literature in a myriad of ways. A dove can represent peace, or an owl can be a sign of wisdom. In her book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee effectively uses a mockingbird to symbolize innocence and harmlessness; most importantly through characters Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. The concept of the mockingbird is first introduced by Atticus, who buys Jem and Scout air rifles, and says: “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (ch.10).

Symbols, symbols, and more symbols everywhere we look. For example the recycling symbol, the caution symbol, and even the symbols on your television remote. The book To Kill a Mockingbird features various symbols, but one in particular is what the book focuses on, and that is the Mockingbird symbol. The Mockingbird is a symbol that represents many things, it represents innocence, a mocking behavior, and defense. This symbol is crucial to the book because throughout the story many characters display these characteristics in a time of need.

Mockingbirds are used symbolically several times in the novel. The first time mockingbirds are mentioned is when Atticus says to the children, "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Upon Scout's confusion, Miss Maudie explains that mockingbirds 'don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us." After an explanation of the saying, it's quite obvious that mockingbirds not only symbolize innocence but also beauty and ethicality. Mockingbirds,

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 all directly or in some way 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 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.