Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

To Kill a Mockingbird: How Symbolism Reinforces Important Ideas

Good Essays
620 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
To Kill a Mockingbird: How Symbolism Reinforces Important Ideas
Essay To kill a Mockingbird – Analyse how symbolism refers to reinforce important ideas.

Harper Lee has used symbolism broadly all throughout the novel of ‘To kill a Mockingbird’. A great deal of the story refers to the problems of racism in the South during the early twentieth century. The symbol, which was prominent to me, was the scene of the mad dog in chapter 10. This symbol of the dog in the scene really reinforces the ideas of good vs. evil, and courage. The scene shows Atticus is the good and the dog is the evil inside their community.

The incident involving the dog, Tim Robinson, is a powerful symbol for one of the key themes in the novel, good vs. evil. The mad dog has become mindless, uncontrollable and dangerous, so it is necessary to shoot it. This is a symbol for Maycomb society, and more specifically, the prejudice/evil, which exists within it. Prejudice is mindless and dangerous, and is engraved in the minds of most people in Maycomb throughout their lives, because they are constantly surrounded by it. As Tim Robinson wonders through the streets, people retreat inside their houses, boarding windows and locking doors, refusing to confront the danger outside. This symbolizes their moral laziness, rather than seeing the bad things in their own society, they are oblivious, and refuse to confront their own prejudiced ways. Atticus is the only one who steps up to confront the mad dog, and he is also the only one who stands up against prejudice. We see this later in the book by his defense of the innocent Tom Robinson in the face of a narrow-minded jury. The message Harper Lee is trying to convey is that prejudice must be ended. The person attempting to stop prejudice is Atticus, a highly honorable man who sees through the prejudice by which he is enclosed in. In a way, Atticus is lashing out at the evil in the Maycomb society, showing he will stand up to it and face it head on. Not only is Atticus attempting to protect Maycomb people from a mad dog, but also from the mindless prejudice, which exists within them.

Another idea that is reinforced by the scene of the mad dog is courage. The courage from Atticus is shown because he steps up by taking the rifle and shooting the mad dog, effectively trying to shoot away the evil and prejudice in Maycomb society. That courage shown by Atticus has an effect on the children as well. They learn that ‘courage is not a man holding a gun.’ Atticus tries to teach the children that shooting an animal or human does not show bravery, and that it is easy to appear brave if you have the advantage offered by a weapon. By learning of Atticus’s skill with a rifle, the children initially find it very difficult to understand why Atticus does not hunt animals and take advantage of his skills. The words of Maudie Atkinson, however, help them to understand. Ms Maudie explains that ‘God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things,’ and that he therefore ‘decided he wouldn’t shoot till he had to.’ Hearing these words has an impact on the children, they learn how courage is still needed to do things that you believe in even if you have the ability to do it.

The mad dog incident and its consequences is a key moment in the moral purpose of the story. Atticus believes in equality and stands up to the evil invading in his community, by shooting the mad dog Tim Robinson. The symbolism of the mad dog really makes the ideas of good vs. evil and courage prominent.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    One day after school Jem told Scott that he had found a pair of pants on the fence. They found another knothole, after school they went to go check it out. It was two figures that were made to represent Scout and Jem. Also when Mr.Radley says he plugged the knothole because the tree was dying.…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this passage from page 203 of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses literal and figurative imagery to create a frightening mood as the Finches confront an angry lynch mob. Scout describes the angry lynch mob as “dark smelly bodies”(203) as she was trying to get to Atticus. The image of “dark smelly bodies”(203) conveys a sense of olfaction, because Scout shows that the mob didn’t seem like actual people because she just calls them bodies, detaching them from their humanity. Scout also describes the olfaction of the jail as “a smell of stale whiskey and pigpen”(203). This description shows that most of the men in the lynch mob were drunk and not thinking straight, they weren’t themselves. Scout also shows how frightened Atticus…

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Personification-"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when i first knew it" (pg5)…

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to many dictionaries, symbolism is “the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships”. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird referred to in the title is a prominent symbol throughout; the snowman building in the winter and Atticus Finch are other examples of symbolism. Some symbols are easily seen, but some require a certain approach and a little digging to understand.…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Role of Atticus: Analysis

    • 576 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Maycomb relies on Atticus throughout the story; the first clear incident is the mad dog appearance. Heck Tate says, ““Take him, Mr. Finch”… [and] handed the rifle to Atticus” (95). This quote symbolizes the towns’ people handing their problem to Atticus to solve. However, Mr. Finch is not able to follow in the town’s footsteps as they conform to racial segregation. He ignores their crude remarks such as, “Scout Finchs daddy defends niggers” (76) and agrees to stick up for Tom Robinson, a black man, in court. His decision soon puts him in the position to receive scorn from Maycomb citizens. Even though Tom does not win the case Atticus succeeds in “send[ing] forth a ripple of hope” and “making a step---it’s just a baby-step, but it’s a step” (216).…

    • 576 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the novel, Atticus demonstrates a great amount of courage. One of his first acts of courage he shows is shooting the sick dog. “…Atticus’s hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulders. The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk…. He did not know what hit him.” (Lee Harper p.96) Atticus proved how courageous he could be by shooting the dog. He thought he had forgotten how to shoot but he knew what had to be done and that everyone was counting on him to get the job done and to put this poor dog out of its misery. The next act of courage Atticus showed was when he stood up to the mob at the jailhouse to protect Tom Robinson. “Jem spoke. ‘[Mr. Cunningham] would have killed you last night when he first went there.’ ‘He may have hurt me a little… but son, you’ll understand folks a little better when you are older. A mob is always made up of people, no matter what… Every mob in every little town is always made of people you know—doesn’t say much for them, does it?’” (Lee Harper p.157) It took a brave man to stand up to an angry group of men, but that is exactly what Atticus did that night at the jailhouse. Even though he expected the sheriff to be by his side if he needed help, he…

    • 1494 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To start, Atticus is obviously courageous and shows it in many ways, such as shooting a dangerous, mad dog. Atticus is forced to shoot the mad dog when no one else would. The narrator recounts, “The rifle cracked… [the dog] leaped, and crumpled on the sidewalk”(Lee 127). Atticus was man enough to put the poor and suffering dog to rest while everyone else watched in fear. He is also defending Tom Robinson, a black man, in court when there is a primarily racist community surrounding him. Robinson is convicted of…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Society has evolved over hundreds of years to be where it is now. Throughout that time, people have created thoughts and opinions about many topics such as how one should live, the way people should act, and how to treat others. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the Great Depression in the 1930s. During this time, whites were superior to blacks. Lee uses the case against Tom Robinson to depict the impact slavery has had on racial views towards blacks. Tradition, being the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, is an example of how previous ways of life effect the present. Through the experiences of the Finch family during the time of the Tom Robinson case, it is evident that tradition affects the lives of individuals in a negative way because it shapes the way a society thinks, leaving long lasting views of racism, sexism, and classism.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The symbol of The Mockingbird represents various characters throughout the novel and helps develop the theme of moral injustice. Tom robinson is an example of a “Mockingbird” because he never did anything wrong, however he was shot and wrongfully accused. The explanation of “a mockingbird” can be found in the book when Miss.Maudie says “ 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’s why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird”(Lee, 119). This explains why it is wrong for one to kill a mockingbird; since they do not cause anyone misfortune, it would be morally unjust to cause them misfortune. Tom Robinson is symbolized as a mockingbird…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism is used throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. A mockingbird is used as a metaphor in the book. Some characters are portrayed as a mockingbird, including Tom Robinson, Scout Finch, and Boo Radley. These characters represent mockingbirds in different ways.…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    | A mockingbird represents Atticus because like a mockingbird, Atticus tries to make everything peaceful and just. Atticus doesn’t harm anyone intentionally either.…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Steve Jobs once said, “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life...have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” By this, he means: don't let the voices and beliefs of others overrule yours, but instead follow your own intuition. This is exactly what Atticus teaches his children in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In the novel, Atticus shows his children that even though everyone may be against your belief or stand on something, continue to think for yourself even though others may disagree.…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    by Harper Lee, Atticus showed in multiple places how he was a leader and also how he could have been a "nigger lover". For a small town like Maycomb, there wasn't a lot of neighborly friendship going on; between Boo Radley, and the mysterious minds of Scout and Jem, the town was in circles. The mad dog in the story was a symbol of many different things, it was a symbol of the town and how at times the town could be against each other at all odds. From the incident with the mad dog, Scout and Jem Finch learn that their father can be a man of action and not just a old man as they think he is, that he is a balanced and fair man, and that they should appreciate their father because they learn of his hidden talents and principles.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In To Kill A Mockingbird, there is a mad dog called Tim Johnson that has rabies. This dog represents many things. It is a symbol of all the things Atticus will have to do, but would rather not and that the disease of the town has to die but will not be erased immediately. It represents the things that Atticus doesn’t want to fight but has to. When he sees the dog he tells Heck to kill the dog. “ Don’t waste time, Heck,” said Atticus “Go on.” “ Mr.Finch, this is a one-shot job.” Atticus shook his head vehemently” this quote shows that Atticus didn’t want to shoot the dog, but then “ the rifle cracked” Atticus shot the dog. This event is the first of many events were Atticus does something he didn’t want to do. Another event in which Atticus…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dill symbolizes a child perspective, childhood and summer, when they found out that he wouldn’t be coming in the summer leads Jem to realize the problems in Maycomb, therefore he starts to mature. The mockingbird represents innocence, it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they do not do one thing but make music for people to enjoy. Mad dog is a symbol of racism in the town of Maycomb, when it wanders on the streets of the neighborhood, all the people of Maycomb hide away in their houses, this shows they way the people of Maycomb are ignorant of their racist and prejudice ways. Atticus is the only one that makes a stand to racism, and it was represents by the fact that he was the one who shoots the dog and kills it. Tom Robinson symbolizes mockingbird and innocence, what they are accusing him of and the punishment that could follow is morally wrong, which is considered a sin; a sin to kill a mockingbird. An irony which was introduced in these chapters were the fact that Scout believes Atticus is the bravest man because he talks to Mrs. Dubose politely, and thinks he is very courageous for doing that. However, Atticus believes that Mrs. Dubose is the bravest person because she had the courage to fight and overcome her morphine…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays