In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee foreshadows a loss of innocence through the symbolic significance of the snowman, fire, and mad dog.
First, Lee uses the snowman as a symbol. It is shown in this passage, “ Jem, I ain’t ever heard of a nigger snowman… He won’t be for long.” (89) When this quote was said jem was patting the dirt down, building the torso of the snowman. It shows a loss of innocence because after they built the dirt snowman they covered it in the snow. It shows racism, that white is a superior race and are on top/better than the rest. It could also be seen as good and evil. The dirt represents black people and they are the foundation of the county and white people are the snow, they built off of the black community. It relates to the trial and tom when Atticus says “ didn’t you think she
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Scout narrates “ He’s looking for a place to die.”(126). The dog got rabies when his owner was out, He started to wobble down the street. Heck Tate (sheriff) told Atticus to shoot the dog, He had the best shot in Maycomb County. “The rifle cracked...Tim flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk.” (128). This was one big Foreshadow to Tom’s death. Atticus killed the innocent dog with a bullet of justice. Just like in court, he was trying to prove Tom’s innocence to the jury. He used the law to show he is not guilty. Judge Taylor said “ Guilty..guilty..guilty… guilty...guilty.” The jury had convicted an innocent man of rape. Tom Robinson was later shot 17 times for trying to ‘run away’. They convicted and then killed an innocent man.Scout narrates “ Well it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it.” (370) Tom, was symbolic to a mockingbird. It was a sin to kill a mockingbird because they didn’t do anything but sing, they were there for people to enjoy and listen to.
To conclude, Harper Lee used the snowman, fire, and the mad dog as a symbol to a loss of
Before the trial Scout and Jem spotted a dog heading their way, they saw that it looked sick (mad), so they told Calpurnia about it. She came to check it out, then she rushed inside with the kids and called Tate, the sheriff. He comes with Atticus, sees the dog, then tells Atticus to take the gun and shoot the dog, but Atticus refuses. Tate shoves the gun at Atticus.
Atticus is appointed a case by Judge Taylor to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Because of the racism and prejudice against black people, he believes that he will not win this case and could risk the life of Tom Robinson. Because of this case, Scout gets bullied by Francis about how his dad is defending a black man, Atticus later talks to Scout about how “[Tom Robinson] lives in [a] settlement behind the town dump….there’s been some high talk around the town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man” (Lee 86). Atticus knows that something bad can happen to him if he were to defend Tom Robinson but still does so because he has the courage to do it. After the trial had ended, Atticus was waiting for news but he did not expect something so terrible and heartbreaking, Tom Robinson, unfortunately, died after being shot several times.
The poet, Lascelles Abercrombie once said, “There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in particular human experience some significant symbolism of man 's general destiny.”. He talked about how powerful of a tool symbolism is and how it is the only thing that can truly define a highly complex ‘destiny’ or series of events. Symbolism is something that is found throughout Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee shows the reader that racism is a product of society,she portrays the matter through her symbolism of the mad dog, the birds and the bugs.
With knowing the problem starts with color of skin and not what is right or wrong, Jem is now able to see why it will be difficult to change society. He now knows he has to change the way society sees people who com from a lesser class. Jem’s experience will hopefully allow for him to start fixing the problems of
The sheriff, Heck Tate, says to “take him, Mr. Finch” (126) because Atticus is the only man good enough to shoot the dog and handle the emotions that come with it. Atticus is also the only man good enough to stop racism. He can handle the sensation of Tom Robinson’s trial and make sure to do the right thing. After Atticus takes the “one-shot job” (126), the town is very distraught. They take action without reason, assuming that the deranged dog means danger.
After hours of waiting, the jury came back in. Scout explains how “A jury never looks at the defendant if it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson… Judge Taylor was polling the jury; ‘ Guilty...Guilty...Guilty’”(211) When Scout and Jem hear the verdict, they are distraught. As they were walking home, “It was Jem’s turn to cry.. ‘It’s not right, Atticus’”(212)
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the character Atticus possesses the most compassion out of the other characters. Atticus is a man of profession, however, his compassionate heart can not be overlooked. Atticus tells Jem to "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (Lee 81) to display his compassion for those who are innocent. Compassion is the concern for the suffering or misfortune of others.
For instance, the scene where Atticus shoots the dog. The dog had rabies and had been roaming the neighborhood, and Sheriff Heck Tate calls Atticus to kill the dog since he is the only one who can shoot well enough. This is also the first time Scout and Jem learn that Atticus is a sharp shooter. Some simply see it as a dog being put down, but it actually symbolises the innocence of the poor dog who was sick being ripped away from him as his life was. In this instance, the dog was the innocent carefree mockingbird and the burden of his rabies/him getting put down were the evil outside occurrences that tore away that same
Symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee utilizes a snowman to embody race equality in To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee writes, “Jem scooped up some snow and began plastering it on. He permitted me to cover only the back, saving the public parts for himself. Gradually Mr. Avery turned white” (Lee88-91). This quote shows how Jem and Scout plaster the snow onto the dirt.
Miss Maudie also helps Scout and Jem put their father more into perspective. After the mad dog incident,which was when a dog named Tim was not alright and Atticus shoots him, Jem is astonished at his father’s shooting abilities because at first, he thought his father couldn’t do anything. Miss Maudie tells them, “Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in
Lee uses the mockingbird as a symbol of evoking empathy in the novel. She writes, “I’d rather you shoot a tin can in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after the birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit them, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee119). Atticus is explaining to Scout to not kill the mockingbird because it’s a sin. Lee evokes empathy by using the mockingbird to symbolize innocence.
Throughout the novel Harper Lee uses symbolism of many things to strengthen the theme of social inequality. The title of the book is the most obvious use of symbolism. The mockingbird is an animal meant for pleasure. It sings a beautiful song and hurts nothing and no one. When she receives an air gun as a gift, Scout is instructed to leave the mockingbirds alone for “its a sin to kill a mockingbird” and they pose no threat.
Lee has many intentions and beliefs for her writing the novel, she highlighted equality, civil rights, racisms, prejudice and bigotry. This ties in with the title of the novel because there are two characters that are portrayed as mockingbirds Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Mockingbirds in the novel are proven to be a sin to kill, as quoted on page 98 “mockingbirds don’t do one things but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up peoples gardens, don’t nest in the cribs, don’t do one thing just sing their hearts for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
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.