Boo Radley, a character who never comes out of his house and sounds as scary as his name portrays an important theme in Harper Lee’s classic To Kill A Mockingbird. The classic is rich with themes and inspires many people to learn from these themes. One of the main themes is developed by Tim Johnson, the pet of Maycomb, Tom Robinson, a black man convicted of rape, and Boo Radley. The theme these characters are developing is that it is a sin to hurt or kill something that is not harmful. Tim Johnson is a marvelous dog that brings joy to the town of Maycomb, but Atticus kills Tim. While Jem and Scout are playing, they see Tim Johnson down the street. Scout describes him as, “Tim was a liver-colored bird dog, the pet of Maycomb,” (Lee 122). This shows how Tim is an old dog that is originally the “pet of Maycomb”. Since he is the pet of Maycomb, he must be nice and joyful. He brings no harm to the town instead, brings joy to the town so, in this case, he is the mockingbird. Jem and Scout find Tim acting strangely so, they call Calpurnia. She runs inside then, calls Atticus and says: “‘I swear to God there’s a mad dog down the street a piece—he’s comin’ this way’” (Lee 123). Tim is a “mad dog” and he is coming towards them. Tim has rabies, a disease, and this is not his fault, but he is a real threat and can harm someone. Then, Atticus arrives with Heck and Atticus is being forced to kill Tim and Atticus does. Scout says: “The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and
In chapter 10 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, an allegory for racism, prejudice, and injustice is created through the mad dog Tim Johnson as he wanders through the Finches’ hometown of Maycomb. Scout’s narration of the mad dog’s appearance, his death by Atticus's gun, and his disposal after death all combine to shape him into a symbol of the injustice and racism prevalent in Scout’s childhood and during the Great Depression. Tim Johnson is a significant literary device in Lee’s narrative that conveys the story’s central themes of how inequality becomes embedded in a community despite its danger and what measures the community needs to take to eliminate it. When every person in Maycomb gets sent indoors to avoid the mad dog, Scout observes
After Atticus gives Jem and Scout their air rifles, he tells them they can shoot tin cans and bluejays, but not mockingbirds. “” … they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us … it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,”” (Lee 119).The mockingbird is supposed to symbolize Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Both characters have been wronged for no reason. Tom and Boo just mind their own business, while the world bothers them. Later in the story, Calpurnia and the children have discovered a rabid dog, Tim Johnson, running about.
Other than it only happening in August, Scout could not be more correct. This just further reinforces the fact that Tim Johnson was harmless. Just because a dog is walking down the street, does not mean he deranged and needs to die. If he was trying to hurt anyone, he would have done it by that time. Correspondingly, the sheriff still felt obligated to put people out of harm's way and ordered Atticus “One Shot” Finch to finish this decayed dog off.
Its importance is evident in the novel through Scout's memory of the moment when Atticus Finch, her father, had shot Tim Johnson. She compares the apprehension and tension in the courtroom during Tom Robinson’s trial, to the day of Tim Johnson’s death. Although Tim Johnson is a minor character in To Kill A Mockingbird, its symbolic importance is definitely seen through Scout's memories. Furthermore, Arthur Radley is another great representation of a mockingbird in the novel. Arthur Radley, unlike other kids who went to school, was locked up by his father to prevent him from interacting with others.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both symbolized as the mockingbird. The first person who was inferred as a mockingbird was Boo Radley. Boo Radley is recognized as one of the mockingbirds of the story because he has not done anything horrible. Scout talks to Miss Maudie about the rumors she has heard about Boo and Miss Maudie says that he has not done any of those rumors. The only other person who claims she has seen Boo doing something bad was Miss Stephanie who has a very big mouth.
Gabrielle Wright Honors 10, 3rd hour 1/30/23 Character Analysis “...his hands were bloodstained… There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (Lee, 13). Although he was only seen once throughout the story, Arthur “Boo” Radley is crucial to the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Roughly 30 years prior to the novel’s beginning, he was locked inside for trouble with the law.
I believe that this quote refers back to the time when Scout and Jem get new rifles for Christmas and Atticus tells Jem that it would be considered a sin if they shot a mockingbird. Mockingbirds are not predators and they will not harm anything or anyone; the only thing they do is make music with their mouths. Scout is remembering that time and comparing it to what had recently happened in her life. I think that she sees Tom Robinson and Boo Radley as the mockingbirds. Tom Robinson didn’t harm anyone, and the only thing that he did was help those who needed assistance.
Ewell then says he will get revenge on Atticus. A while later, tell Scout and her aunt that Tom Robinson was killed because he tried to escapee the prison by climbing over the
Heck Tate grabs a rifle out of his car and hands it to Atticus. Atticus is hesitant, but he takes the shot and kills the dog. Inside the house scout and Jem look at Atticus in amazement.
‘It ain’t right’ he muttered” (212). Jem begins to take his anger out on Scout and uses what he deems maturity against Scout’s lack of as “He slapped me and I tried another left, but a punch in the stomach sent me sprawling on the floor” (138). Jem is a mockingbird because in his attempt to civilize situations and maturely fight for justice, he loses his
He is accountable for creating many themes as well affecting the actions and development of other characters. Furthermore, he plays a major role in the maturation of Jem and Scout. Jem, Scout, and Dill are fascinated by the rumors of Boo Radley around them. People in Maycomb perceive Boo as someone who, “dined on raw squirrels and cats” and “the teeth he had were yellow and rotten”(16). This quote shows the people’s impression of Boo and how they affect the childrens in the book.
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.
In Chapter 12 of Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many events and situations in which irony is used to support the theme of the chapter. An example of this is in the very beginning of the chapter, when Scout is concerned about how distant and moody Jem is acting, and asks Atticus, “’Reckon he’s got a tapeworm?’” (Lee 153), to which Atticus replies no, and that Jem is growing. This is dramatic irony because the readers understand that Jem is acting oddly because he’s growing, but Scout doesn’t know this until she asks Atticus about it. This quote supports the theme of Chapter 12 by showing when Jem started to grow distance from Scout, getting aggravated with her and telling her to stop bothering him, and shows how the children
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the term mockingbird symbolizes innocence in a person. In the novel it focuses on the fact that innocence, represented by the mockingbird, can be wrongfully harmed. There are two characters: Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley that are supposed to represent the mockingbird. In the novel, Tom Robinson is the best example of a mockingbird because he is prosecuted for a crime he did not commit. Also, he was judged unfairly based on the color of his skin in his trial.
Atticus has to shoot Tim Johnson and ignore what Jem and Scout expect from him. He does it for Tim so his suffering can end in a peaceful method. In the same way, he does it for the town's safety even if it opposes the lawful thing to do. Later on in the novel, Scout mentions the mockingbird when confirming her understanding that they have to go against