To Kill A Mockingbird Flowers Analysis

From Miss Maudie’s near perfect garden to Mayella’s vibrant red geraniums among a landfill of trash, flowers are a large symbolic presence throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Some might think that the flowers are merely a coincidence to the plot, but I believe that there’s a further significance to them. In particular, Ms. Maudie, Mayella, and Mrs. Dubose all are characterized in part by the flowers that they grow. The flowers unite these characters in the fact that they all highlight feminine qualities of their personalities. Some may say the flowers are nothing more then a plot device, but the flowers throughout the book showcase aspects of femininity in each character they’re associated with.

Particularly, the most symbolism shown

Dubose’s camellias show her ladylike spirit in the act of both teaching Jem a lesson, and then forgiving him after her death. Jem destroyed her flowers, kickstarting an entire part of the novel with Mrs. Dubose. This action eventually leads to Jem’s growth as a person. In the beginning, Jem only saw Mrs. Dubose as a mean spirited old lady. But as time progresses, Jem learns that she was so mean because she was addicted to morphine. This is made clear after Atticus comments that ‘"Most of the time you were reading to her I doubt if she heard a word you said. Her whole mind and body were concentrated on that alarm clock. If you hadn't fallen into her hands. I'd have made you go read to her anyway."’ ( 111). After her death, Mrs. Dubose sends Jem a camellia, one of the very flowers that Jem destroyed in her garden. The camellia represents forgiveness, which is what the act of giving the flower to Jem represents. Jem was taught courage from Mrs. Dubose, which was Atticus’s reason behind sending Jem to read to her. This is revealed when Atticus explains that, "’I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest

Azaleas represent temperance, passion, and fragility. While Miss Maudie isn't fragile, her passion shows through when she talks about the Tom Robinson case. The symbolism of the azaleas, which represent ladylike mannerisms, is also foreshadowing the hypocritical opinions of the women at Aunt Alexandra’s tea party, which is another example of Miss Maudie’s passionate personality coming through. When Miss Merriweather says ‘"Now far be it from me to say who, but some of 'em in this town thought they were doing the right thing a while back, but all they did was stir 'em up."’ (pg47). when referring to Atticus, Maudie responds by asking Mrs. Merriweather, ‘"His food doesn't stick going down, does it?"’ (pg48). Miss Maudie stands up for Atticus and hushes the other ladies, knowing the amount of hypocrisy in their