To Kill A Mockingbird Essay: Use of Symbolism :: Kill Mockingbird essays

Use of Symbolism in To Kill A Mockingbird   Id rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I last youll go after(prenominal) birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want , if you can hit em, but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird. This is what Atticus Finch tells his children after they are given air-rifles for Christmas. Uniquely, the title of the classic novel by Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird, was taken from this passage. At first glance, one may honor why Harper Lee decided to name her book after what agnisems to be a rather insignificant excerpt. After careful study, however, one begins to see that this is just another example of symbolism in the novel. Harper Lee uses symbolism rather extensively throughout this story, and much of it refers to the problems of racism in the sulphur during the early twentieth century. Harper Lees effective use of racial symbolism can be seen by studying various examples from the book. This includes the actions of the child ren, the racist whites, and the actions of Atticus Finch. The actions of the children in this novel certainly do have their share of symbolism. For instance, the building of a snowman by Jem and Scout one winter is very symbolic. There was not complete snow to make a snowman entirely out of snow, so Jem made a foundation out of dirt, and then covered it with what snow they had. One could fork up this in two different ways. First of all, the creation of the snowman by Jem can be seen as being symbolic of Jem trying to cover up the shady man and showing that he is the same as the white man, that all human beings are virtually the same. Approval of these views is shown by Atticus when he tells Jem, I didnt know how you were going to do it, but from now on Ill never worry about whatll become of you, son, youll always have an idea. The upgrade that night that engulfed overlook Maudie Atkinsons house can be seen as the prejudice of Maycomb County, as the fire melted the snow from th e snowman, and left nothing but a clump of mud. The fire depicts the prejudice people of the county saying that blacks and whites are, certainly, not the same. Another way of looking at the symbolism of the snowman would be to say that Jems combination of mud and snow signifies miscegenation, wedding party or sexual relations between persons of different races.