Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Although the rapid dog in "To Kill a Mockingbird" only appears in one chapter and is killed rather quickly, it acts as a symbol for the reoccurring theme of the evilness in racism throughout the book, illustrates the courage that is gained from overcoming difficult situations, and being an experience that allows for the development of maturity. In a setting that is dominated by racism, such as in Maycomb, a majority of the population also have aspects of evilness due to the damaging effects of their racist behavior, which is represented by the rabid dog. During the Tom Robinson trial, Scout thought to herself how watching Judge Taylor was “like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching

This shows that even without his glasses, he is capable of seeing how awful racism and prejudice. The dog, Tims Johnson, Atticus is supposed to shoot represents the racism and prejudice spread throughout the town. When Atticus shoots him, he is trying to rid the town of their awful views. “Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk,” (Lee 127). Unfortunately, Atticus can not convince everyone to see without their prejudice

Atticus showed his children that he was a brave man when he stepped into the street to face down a dangerous dog. Although he didn't believe that act was especially brave and he was completely not interested in proving anything to his children but Jem and Scout were proud of, and impressed by, his courage in such a dangerously unsteady situation. But shooting something wasn't really Atticus' idea of courage. He looked courage on a more thinking-related level, as a moral thing, not as something that can be proved with a weapon. During 1930s, white people were considered superior than black people and there was racism.

Harper Lee uses the mad dog to symbolize many things. It shows how Atticus is the one that must do the unpleasant jobs. Just like how Atticus gets rid of Tim Johnson, he also had to deal with Tom Robinson. The dog is put as an outcast just as Tom Robinson is. The dog can also be shown as foreshadowing for Tom Robinson’s case.

“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”(Lee 30). These are the words of Atticus Finch, the wisest character in the famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. He is a fictional man that embodies human traits that all people should strive to emulate. In the novel; narrated by Atticus’ daughter Jean Louise Finch, more often referred to as Scout; Atticus defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white female, Mayella Ewell. The main message of the text is the prominence of racial injustice, specifically in the 1930’s, the era the novel takes place in.

In Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, the mad dog is used as a reflection of many different struggles faced by specific characters as well as society as a whole. Foremost, the dog represents everything Atticus is facing in the novel. He has internal struggles, like many main characters, such as having to choose between right and wrong as well as fighting more physical things such as the jury. This leads into the next point: the dog represents discrimination and hatred itself in the novel.

They both also show commitment to racial equality because Atticus defended a black man in a court case which was publicly unacceptable and Charlie’s father explodes with anger at the four men who are racist and abuse Charlie calling him a “red fucking rat” (pg. 269). The use of these racist comments, enables the reader’s to feel sympathy and compassion towards the characters. Therefore, the reader is able to understand significant aspects of racism. In relation, imagery is created through the use of racist language, further allowing the reader to feel a certain way towards the characters and situations presented.

Lee uses Miss Gates’s ironic views of Hitler and Tom’s trial to show how racial prejudice causes crimes against African Americans to be considered less than crimes committed against white people. A mockingbird is then used to symbolize Tom Robinson as an innocent person wrongly convicted of a crime because of his skin color. The misunderstood characterization of Arthur Radley shows how society will let prejudice guide their imaginated view on the lives of people they don't understand. All three characters provide examples of how a preconceived opinion of one person or a whole race can cause drastic misunderstandings and

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs. Dubose has a bush of camellias in her yard. These flowers represent racism and prejudice towards black people in Macomb County. She refers to her flowers as “Snow-on-the-Mountain” that have white petals. The white petals show favoritism towards the white people in Maycomb County. In Chapter 11, Jem cuts down all the flowers with Scout’s baton.

To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis Throughout To Kill A MockingBird, by Harper Lee there are many acts of courage. This is shown in Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, and Boo Radley. Atticus shows the most courage in the book but all three of these characters show true courage in some way, shape, or form. Boo Radley showed a lot of courage, but he was not in the storyline as much as Atticus. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is defined as standing up for people and doing what’s right.

‘Scout,’ he said, ‘Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?’” Scout replies with, “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (276). By saying “shooting the mockingbird,” Lee means to attack someone who is without fault.

In this part of the book, there is an old dog and nobody wants to kill it. So they give the job to Atticus

“People …[they] see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” (232). From the rapist on death row to the innocent elephant shot for game, all murders take place out of a perception that your life is superior to the one that stands in front of your crosshair. In the events of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee answers these feelings of superiority in the white community, and the ways they exploit their inherent power through judicial violence. However, such violence in TKAM takes place even before Tom Robinson’s trial, in the death of the mad dog.

Symbolism is used by many authors to convey a specific message that carries a deep meaning. In Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the primary symbol is the Mockingbird. There are numerous references to the mockingbird in the novel, which can be seen through some of the characters. The allusion of the mockingbird is used to represent the idea of innocence.

In society, there are very few people who have the unwavering dedication to stand up for what they believe. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man was convicted and accused of a crime he didn 't commit, raping a white women, which is not in anyway tolerable in society. In Harper Lee 's To Kill A Mockingbird, the author used point of view and symbolism to acknowledge how the the several social divisions which make up much of the adult world are shown to be both irrational and extremely destructive. To begin with, the short story To Kill A Mockingbird, used point of view to show how the many social divisions in the world are irrational and destructive. Scout; a first grade student at the time, was telling the story from her point of view and what had occurred from her childhood perspective.