Simran Gaglani
English honors
Period 1, Mrs. Grexton
November 18 2011
There are many significant symbols used to represent the different themes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the book Harper Lee transmits a message to the reader using examples and symbols to get her point across. Some of these symbols include the dresses, Tim Johnson, and dependencies. The symbol that best represents the theme of growing up would be clothing. Throughout the book, clothing has been more than just a choice of style; it had been a sign of maturity. Another instance would be when Miss Maudie asks Scout, “‘Where are your britches today?’” Scout answers back, “Under my dress.” (Lee 309) This shows that Scout has finally learned to accept the
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‘”He’s far from dead, Jem, he hasn’t gotten started yet.”’ Racism has a funny way of popping back up once you think its done and over with. Just when you think its about to die out, there is still more out there. Aside from clothes and Tim, deceptive appearance is also an important theme symbolized by people’s different dependencies. Although the weakness may look like one thing, it might actually mean another. For example: ‘“secretly Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live the way I do because that’s the way I want to live.”’ (Lee 268) Dolphus Raymond’s “apparent” weakness/dependency seem to be an addiction to spirits. But as we take a closer look he reveals to us that his so called addiction is only a cover up so people would spare the time to try and figure out his motives. “His left arm was fully 12 inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side.”’ (Lee 248) Tom’s state implies that he committed the crime and looks as if he is guilty, but his dependency being his left arm proves that he couldn’t have done the crime. “Mrs Dubose was a morphine addict, she took pain-killers for years…she was going to leave this world holden to nothing and nobody.”’ Hearing this from Atticus jem realizes, “You mean that’s what her fits were?” (Lee 147 and 148) Jem has always seen Mrs. Dubose as a horrible old lady with a bitter tongue. But as he looks past the deceptive
Understanding perspective is essential to understanding people. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird presents this idea in multiple passages of her writing. It can be seen in the rough, unknown troubles that people face despite their wrongful actions. As well as the rumours that are untrue and give complete false impressions of people. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird uses these topics to illustrate the dangers of judging others before getting to know them.
The coming-of-age novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is set in the fictional town of Maycomb County, Alabama around the 1930s. Vile racial discrimination in Maycomb is what lead to the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus, the father of Scout, was assigned to defend Robinson in court. Atticus organized his argument to be successful by using rhetorical devices- ethos, pathos, and logos.
What do symbols illustrate in novels? In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, symbols are illustrated through people, objects, and colors. In this novel, a group of children are faced with the difficulty of living isolated from society after their plane crashes on a deserted island. With no formal civilization, parents, or rules, the kids have the freedom to do as they choose. Throughout the novel, the boys find and use objects on the island that symbolize something of different importance. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses different objects to symbolize the difference between civilization and savagery.
Symbolism is used widely in To Kill a Mockingbird the symbolism shows prejudice and how opinionated people of Maycomb could be to spread rumors of Boo Radley even though they do not know him. Symbolism shows innocence of Tom Robinson who was falsely accused of assaulting Mayella and almost gets killed if it was not for the help of Atticus. Harper Lee possibly uses symbolism for her refusal of prejudice and innocence because it is more effective than
Throughout most novels, characters encounter obstacles or events that once faced change their lives for the better or worse. In this book, that obstacle is racism. This is evident in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird when ... ____________________. Due to... ____________________. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Dolphus Raymond, Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell each encounter racism in different ways; however, they all suffer as a result.
Harper Lee also represents the themes through key symbolism. The most important symbol and the one that represented innocence and goodness was the mockingbird. Tom Robinson, Boo Radley and even Atticus and Scout were the metaphoric mockingbirds in the novel. When Scout asked Miss Maudie about
The third symbol is the knot hole in the tree at the Radley’s house and it represents communication. In the novel Jem and scout say “ one mild October afternoon when our knot-hole stopped us again. Something white was inside this time. Jem let me do the honors: I pulled out two small images carved in soap. One was the figure of a boy, the other wore a crude dress.“These are us,” (Lee 61).This shows that the items placed in the knot hole were actually meant for Jem and Scout and he is trying to communicate with the children. Him leaving item in the hot hole shows that he is trying to communicate with the real world and he can know whats going on in the town still but not actually leaving is . The website, https://sites.google.com/site/tresamigoscom/themes-symbols
Perspectives can change beliefs in many ways. In Harper Lee’s novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, Bob Ewell hears and sees Atticus defending Tom Robinson who is black, therefore, he believes Atticus ‘loves niggers’. Jem, Scout, and Dill have never seen Boo Radley come out at day and they hear rumors that Boo only comes out at night. People believe rumors and their perspectives until they get the truth and change their beliefs.
To Kill a Mockingbird was a very influential book in the eyes of a growing young woman in America in the 1930’s from the eyes of Jean Louise as a child and Jean reminiscing or reflecting as an adult about the past. Mayella Ewell was a white woman who was looked down upon by her own race and the African Americans were too scared to talk to her. Mayella was looked at to be powerless over her own life and others. If she is, then why does she win the case against Tom Robinson? In the town of Maycomb race, class, and gender played larger roles than some may think let's determine how.
In the third chapter of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus proclaims that “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” (P. 39). By including this statement Lee presents to us the idea of empathy and that, in the words of author Madeleine L’Engle in her book A Wrinkle in Time, ‘people are more than just the way they look’. Applying this concept to some of Lee’s characters in the book can teach us invaluable
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book with several examples of symbolism. Although the story is seen through a child’s perspective, it includes multiple instances of symbolism, some more obvious than others. Mockingbirds, Mayella’s geraniums, and the Radley household are all big symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird a major theme is the loss of innocence. Whether from emotional abuse, racial prejudice or learning, Boo, Tom, and Scout all lose their innocence in one sense or another. The prejudice that each character endures leads to their loss. Through the responses of Boo, Tom, and Scout, Harper Lee shows how each character responded differently to their loss of innocence.
Courage is the quality of mind that enables one to face danger with confidence, resolution, and gain a firm control of oneself. Many of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird showed courage in their own way. Courage can come in many different forms: physical, mental, emotional and moral. Courage is not the only main theme displayed in To Kill a Mockingbird; prejudice and education are also very important themes exhibited throughout the progression of the novel. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, a bright, sensitive and intelligent little girl, these themes of the novel are explored in great depth.
In the beginning, Maycomb, Alabama seemed to be a quiet, accepting of others community. A place that was safe for rearing children, and somewhere everyone could live peacefully. The community members watched out for each other, and helped others without procrastination or the thought of otherwise. Life was routine. One could declare what the community members were doing, just by knowing what time it was. As the story progressed, the community’s skeletons were exposed, and one begins to realize that Maycomb is not much different from most other small communities, in that human nature thrives throughout the community. Atticus took on the most difficult case of his career when he agreed to defend a black man, who was obviously innocent, but accused of beating and raping a white girl. Prejudiced thoughts and behaviors riled when Tom Robinson was brought to the county jail.
It takes an open mind, understanding, patience, acceptance, and persuasive oratory skills towards people who look different to change a prejudiced society. When Scout was describing her experience at school to Atticus and Calpurnia, Atticus said, “First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. 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.” Atticus uses a metaphor to suggest that in order to acknowledge, understand, and accept a particular person, you have to get to know who he really is and where he is coming from. If Scout “climb[s] into his skin and walk[s] around in it,” she will