How Does Lee Use Figurative Language In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main character and narrator Scout recalls the events leading up to her brother Jem’s broken arm. Throughout the story, the two children come upon several mysterious acts of kindness. Little do they know that they are from the one person the childrenthey would least expect: Boo Radley. Boo is mentally challenged and stays away from the public. Though he scares many of his neighbors, he never does anything to cause other people harm. In that way he is like a Mockingbird. Harper Lee describes the extraordinary journey of young Scout through first person narrating, the use of symbolism, and figurative language to reach the goal of empathy towards characters.

Scout narrates the story from the time that she is six until she is nine years old. Throughout the story, Scout’s father

In the middle of the book, Atticus tells Jem “it is a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 119). Miss Maudie further explains this by saying “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy” (Lee 119). In this case, Boo Radley is the mockingbird. Mr. Heck Tate wants the whole town to know that Boo saved the Finch children from being killed by Bob Ewell, but Atticus knows that Boo does not like the attention. Atticus tells Mr.Tate that Boo has only done good things for their community, and for that, he should be left the way he likes it: quiet and alone. Boo is the Mockingbird here because all a Mockingbird does is sing, and all Boo does are good deeds. Also, making a fuss over Boo would be like harming a Mockingbird. Even though he has done an amazing and honorable deed, he does not want to be the center of attention. After this scene, the reader knows that Boo is not a psychopath, but a sincere man who is only afraid of what the public might think of him. The reader can feel the vulnerability of Boo which reaches the goal of creating empathy towards a