In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, there are many symbols. Lee puts many examples in her story that alludes to a major theme about political and social injustice. She attacks the 20th century issues and attempts shine a brighter light on it. There are plenty of quotes in the novel that have a symbolic meaning. The symbols in this book has a greater meaning behind it than ever before.…
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…
Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird depicts the childhood and coming of age of a young girl named Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch. The main focus of this novel is the trial of an African-American man named Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white woman, and Scout’s father, Atticus, who has been assigned to defend him. Written during the Civil Rights Movement, Lee’s purpose is to highlight the racial prejudice that had permeated throughout the Southern culture. She achieves this in the trial scenes, where she embeds Atticus’s strong dialogue into the context of the vivid imagery she presents of the trial.…
Have you ever known what it is like to constantly do good things but never rewarded? Never acknowledged? Always assumed to be bad? To be a mockingbird means to not cause any harm to the society and do good deeds. Most mockingbirds don’t even want to be recognized. Boo Radley is a perfect example of a metaphorical mockingbird. Not everyone knows what being misunderstood is like; especially when you’re misunderstood for the wrong reasons. Just because a man keeps to himself, should he be marked as an outcast? Just because a man is rumored to have done a dark deed, should he live a lonely life? Boo Radley, a man who has been labeled by a myth, truly encompasses the qualities of a mockingbird. His status as an outcast not only leads to his misunderstood reputation, but also to his self-dependent, lonely lifestyle. Yet, the town doesn’t know he’s a harmless man who just keeps to himself. This misunderstood citizen of Maycomb, who all in all, ends up being a harmless stranger trying to help, resembles a metaphorical mockingbird.…
Atticus is an individual who is one of the few who live by principle not on tradition. In the little town named Maycomb, tradition for most people meant prejudice, separation, and racism. Atticus Finch chose to fight against the old traditions of his own. "...several Maycomb townspeople who see through the fog of the past, and who act not on tradition but on principle." (Erisman 43). He beliefs that white or black should be treated with respect. He does not judge people by their beliefs because he understands that his beliefs are different than others. Atticus is not at typical man of Maycomb, even though he is a member of one of the oldest families in the area. "He is presented as a Southern version of Emersonian man, the individual who…
Living in the pages of a classic novel, there is a girl named Jean Louise Finch, or rather, Scout. She is young and untainted by the world's prejudices, and she possesses a mind full of curiosity. Scout wondered about many things. She wondered why Mrs. Dubose is such a mean old hag, about why Arthur, Boo, Radley never leaves his house, and why must a girl become a lady? The question that Scout pondered most about, however, was what it means to kill a mockingbird. The character Scout and the book To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is greatly influenced by a history of repression and injustice and by a set of ideals that had once dominated most, if not all, of the country at one point or another. Three of the many events and ideas…
A classic novel is one that relates to and questions aspects central to our lives, and can be related to for generations to come. To kill a mockingbird (Harper Lee, 1960) elevates itself to become a timeless classic through its portrayal of profound themes and narrative messages that impact readers across all demographics. It is a compassionate story that not only educates and thrills the reader, but also ultimately inspires them to re-evaluate their presuppositions, and learn to denote an emotional understanding of someone else’s feelings or problems by walking around in their shoes. Themes concerning injustice of racial prejudice and the value of courage and bravery are traversed in great depth through the main characters, Atticus…
To kill a mockingbird is an insightful novel that effectively educates its reader about the discrimination and prejudice against African Americans that was occurring at the time. Through the pity and intensity of Tom Robinson’s trial the reader learns how the rights of African Americans were very different than the white Americans at the time. To kill a mockingbird highlights the pure injustice that Tom Robinson faces, when accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Due to these accusations Tom’s fate is put on the line and his dignity is robbed from him as the whole of Maycomb assumes that Mayella Ewell is right. Immediately the town people build a sense of hate and anger towards Tom Robinson and attempt to act on their thoughts and opinions. Throughout this text one will learn how not only Negro’s were affected by this prejudice and discrimination but how innocent white Americans, such as the finch family were too.…
Books filled with controversy rarely get recognition for shaping people’s lives; however, To Kill a Mockingbird overcomes this stereotype by showing the good in an otherwise not so good community. This community, known as Maycomb, exemplified traditional racial views that southerners held during the 1930’s. Most of the community, and most of Southern America, shared these same racial views, but Atticus Finch’s beliefs differ from those around him. Throughout the book, Atticus stands up for people of all races despite what those around him think. The courage shown by Atticus has greatly impacted all aspects of my life, including my faith, and demonstrates the determination that I wish to possess.…
As most people have read the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, many have wondered, what contributes most to the story’s themes? Well, throughout the novel, there are three main literary elements that come into play. In the passage “‘It ain’t right, Atticus…”’(pg.284) to “I looked up, and his face was vehement”(pg.296), Harper Lee uses the literary element character, setting, and tone to develop the theme that recognizing perspectives contributes to coming of age. As many other themes in the novel, the theme will show a change in how Jem starts to view the world, and the major roles included in it, such as racism. But his perspective comes mostly from the kind of character he is.…
The core character of a novel is responsible for maintaining the stability of society within the novel, exhibiting qualities of a true hero, and constantly emphasizing the novel’s central themes. Atticus Finch serves as this core in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, a novel written by Harper Lee. The story, set in the 1930’s, was written in a time when racism and discrimination to those who were different was rife in America, namely the southern states. Lee’s novel presented the problem in a new eye to the public, and slammed the people, the world even, by showing them what such discrimination was like. Atticus, father of two and a local town lawyer, proves to be one of the main characters used to express Lee’s points. The ways in which Atticus, or…
As I continue To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, new characters was introduced and the story gets more interesting. As chapter ten begins, Scout feels slightly ashamed of her father, because it seems like he doesn’t do anything remarkable. Atticus warns Scout and Jem that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, “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.” One day, a mad dog appears, wandering around the neighborhood; Heck Tate gives Atticus a rifle and tells him to shoot the dog. To Jem and Scout’s amazement, Atticus hit the dog in one shot, Miss. Maudie tells them that Atticus as a young man…
The responsibility of defending Tom Robinson is given to Atticus in the identical matter that Heck Tate gave Atticus the responsibility of defending the town from Tim Johnson. Shooting and wounding a rabid dog can just make the situation worse, just the same as wounding a town's system of beliefs and values, and as Heck says, both situations are "a one shot job." (109) One Shot Finch is brought in to solve the problem. Defending Tom to the point of waiting outside his jail cell, protecting him from a lynching mob shows Atticus's willingness to carry out a task completely. In this scene he comes against an entire pack of mad dogs armed torches and pitchforks and running rabid with prejudice, ignorance and rage. This situation is a great deal more intense for Atticus, because this time his children are involved. Even with a pack of vengeful, drunken, and angry men staring down Atticus and his two children Atticus still stays calm and "put the newspaper down very carefully, adjusting its creases with lingering fingers." (173) The same calm is shown in the dog scene Scout believes he moves gracefully, "like an underwater swimmer." (109)…
“To Kill a Mockingbird” was published in 1960 and it reflected on the Civil Rights Movement. Maycomb, the setting of “To Kill a Mockingbird”, is a microcosm of American Society as the Americans were amidst the Great Depression. Also, Martin Luther King referred to this time as being ‘sweltering’ with oppression. Since people at the time were trapped by other people’s opinions and developed a strong system of class hierarchy, very few actually thought about opening their minds so people could live in harmony. The Finch household, being one of the few households that neglects racial standing, did not accept prejudice. This value was held by Calpurnia, a black woman, and also Atticus. As the moral voice of the novel, Atticus demonstrated several meaningful ideas.…
Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird is significant because it gives many examples of individuals protecting the innocent. Jem, Scout, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are characters in the book that are examples of “innocents” who were in need of protection. In this story, the mockingbird is symbolic of the innocents. All of these characters in some way are like mockingbirds. For the purpose of this essay, I’ve chosen the two most symbolic characters Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.…