How Does Harper Lee Use Symbols In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In every book there is a symbolic meaning that the author wants to share with the readers. Whether they be positive or negative themes, authors always attempt to convey their message through symbols or events. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents her ideas based on her experiences growing up in the Great Depression, in a way that easily associates with the reader. Through the uses of symbolic objects and events, Harper Lee develops a deeper significance for the themes of the novel in a powerful and dynamic way. Harper Lee, writer of To Kill a Mockingbird, uses the Radley Place as a symbol of prejudice. Their home is known to be mysterious, creepy, and haunted, “Inside the house lived a malevolent Phantom. People said he …show more content…

The reader is able to see Atticus’ extreme courage. “The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap. He didn’t know what hit him” (127). This quote demonstrates Atticus’ courage by killing the dog. Although Atticus did not want to be responsible for shooting an animal, he knew that by doing so, he would keep the neighborhood safe and out of danger. The mad dog lost his mind and was unable to think straight. “...what remained of his poor mind made him pause and seem to consider which road he would take”(Lee 126). The rabid dog represents those who blindly follow a certain belief. Just as Tim Johnson could not think properly, there are people in Maycomb who will follow others’ ways by being prejudice without reason. Jem can also be compared to the mad dog by his actions. “At the time, however, I thought the only explanation for what he did was that for a few minutes he simply went mad” (Lee 136). Harper Lee uses this crisis with the rabid dog to foreshadow Jem’s upcoming outburst taken upon Mrs. Dubose. This quote demonstrates that there was no reasoning behind Tim Johnson or Jem’s dangerous actions. They simply lost their heads for a mere lapse of time. Throughout this passage, Harper Lee uses symbolism as a way to connect this event to the crises that will later form in Maycomb relating to

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