Symbolism In 'To Kill A Mockingbird'
To Kill a Mocking Bird Essay – Symbolism
Adam Jenkins
Presented to Mrs. Davis, Ph.D
In The Subject of English
April 2nd, 2012
To Kill a Mockingbird Essay – Symbolism
Adam Jenkins
According to many dictionaries, symbolism is “the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships”. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird referred to in the title is a prominent symbol throughout; the snowman building in the winter and Atticus Finch are other examples of symbolism. Some symbols are easily seen, but some require a certain approach and a little digging to understand.
The snowman, the fire in Miss Maudie Atkinson's house, and the mockingbird are all examples of symbolism. The …show more content…
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch says to his children "As you grow older, you will see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it – whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." (Lee, p. 295) That statement is similar to what he says to his kids about killing a mockingbird. The mockingbird symbolizes discriminated black people. They are innocent and would almost never harm anyone just like the mockingbird. Boo Radley is also innocent and would never harm anyone therefore the mockingbird also symbolizes him. Boo never comes out because he does not want to face the prejudice and corruption of the county and to his knowledge, the rest of the world as Jem said “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in his house all this time . . . it’s because he wants to stay inside.” (Lee, p.304) With all of these examples of symbolism in the novel, one cannot help but think that there is more to it than originally
Adam Jenkins
Presented to Mrs. Davis, Ph.D
In The Subject of English
April 2nd, 2012
To Kill a Mockingbird Essay – Symbolism
Adam Jenkins
According to many dictionaries, symbolism is “the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships”. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird referred to in the title is a prominent symbol throughout; the snowman building in the winter and Atticus Finch are other examples of symbolism. Some symbols are easily seen, but some require a certain approach and a little digging to understand.
The snowman, the fire in Miss Maudie Atkinson's house, and the mockingbird are all examples of symbolism. The …show more content…
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch says to his children "As you grow older, you will see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it – whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." (Lee, p. 295) That statement is similar to what he says to his kids about killing a mockingbird. The mockingbird symbolizes discriminated black people. They are innocent and would almost never harm anyone just like the mockingbird. Boo Radley is also innocent and would never harm anyone therefore the mockingbird also symbolizes him. Boo never comes out because he does not want to face the prejudice and corruption of the county and to his knowledge, the rest of the world as Jem said “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in his house all this time . . . it’s because he wants to stay inside.” (Lee, p.304) With all of these examples of symbolism in the novel, one cannot help but think that there is more to it than originally