Symbolism in Characters
With excellent themes and a well-organized plot, Nelle Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an authentic story that captivates and inspires all who read the Pulitzer Prize winner. The novel is about a young girl named Scout and her reflection on events that happened before and after a major court case Atticus, her father, was advocated for. Harper Lee masterfully crafts a story filled with moral teaching and a realization of the true nature of human life. On top of virtuous morals and an exhilarating plot, Harper Lee also masterfully weaves symbolic representations into many aspects of the novel to aid in teaching and applying these lessons. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee utilizes minor characters to point
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The most significant characters are Mr. Link Deas and Miss Maudie. Mr. Link Deas brings a small amount of hope for the people for Tom Robinson in the court case when he announced Tom’s innocence and praised how he “‘aint had a speck o’trouble outa him’” when he worked for him, looking past the color of Tom’s skin. This small and simple act brought hope into those who were for Tom because Mr. Link Deas was one of the few people who publicly displayed his support for Tom. People were astounded by the fact that Mr. Link Deas has respect for him even though their skin color is different. Through all the darkness and despair, Miss Maudie always seems to either cheer up the room or teach an important lesson on morality and ethics. One example of this can be seen when Miss Maudie talks about Atticus not winning the case, saying that his ability to make the jury at least contemplate both sides of the issue showed that society was “‘making a step-[though] it’s just a baby step’” (Lee 289). This depicts Miss Maudie’s way of giving hope to the children, especially Jem, when times are the toughest and when most of society is of no help. Additionally, Miss Maudie brought the children and herself to the realization that the court case really did take one of the first steps to the end of segregation in Maycomb and other places in …show more content…
Two characters that represent this major event are Mrs. Dubose and Mr. Ewell. While Mr. Ewell represents racists in Maycomb, Mrs. Dubose personifies Maycomb itself and its society as a whole. As told by Atticus, Mrs Dubose suffered a morphine addiction and was struggling to quit it before she died. She finally did quit and left the world “beholden to nothing and nobody” (Lee 148). Mrs. Dubose morphine addiction symbolizes Maycomb’s racist views and values while her gradual decrease in morphine intake symbolizes Maycomb’s effort to slowly step out of segregated ways (her fits also symbolize the people’s way of resisting new beliefs and virtues). In addition, Mrs. Dubose’s death symbolizes the end of segregation in Maycomb after years of hard work. To see the racists represented, Mr. Ewell is the perfect character. Mr. Ewell, and his family, is the “disgrace of Maycomb” and has been “for three generations,” as described by Atticus (Lee 40). Later in the story Atticus also indirectly call him “‘white trash’” for hurting an innocent Black man (Lee 295). Mr. Ewell’s dirty ways represents the impurity of racists’ ways and his accusation of Tom Robinson and his attempt to kill Scout and Jem represents the racists willpower to hurt anyone under all costs. Finally, Mr. Ewell’s death represents the end of racism. Unfortunately, it does not represent the end of racism as a
In the town of Maycomb, a man who stands up against racism forever changes people’s views on racism. Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch all stand together against racism and prejudice in the tiny town of Maycomb. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, in the town of Maycomb, prejudice is a disease, but Jem, Scout, and Dill are immune to this illness because of the people who raise them. For example, when Cecil and Francis told Scout that Atticus was a disgrace to defend Tom Robinson, even though Francis is Scout’s cousin. When Scout and Jem hear the verdict of Tom’s case, they both cry and are angry about the sentence while the rest of the town is ecstatic.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Alabama in the 1930s, and concerns itself primarily with the interrelated themes of prejudice and empathy. These themes are explored as the story follows Scout Finch as she learns lessons in empathy, ultimately rejecting prejudice. While all characters in Lee’s novel learn from their experiences, not all are able to grow in the same manner as Scout. The idea of a positive role model, typified by the character of Atticus Finch, and the ramifications of its absence, is a concept that Lee places much emphasis on. The isolated setting is also pivotal in the development of characters. Lee uses the contrast between characters that learn lessons in empathy and compassion, and characters that cling to the ideals of a small town, to explore factors that nurture or diminish prejudice.
Shaw-Thornburg, Angela. “On Reading To Kill a Mockingbird: Fifty Years Later.” Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: New Essays. Meyer, Michael J. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2010. 113-127. Print.
Walt Whitman’s 1859 poem “Out of the Cradle Rocking Endlessly” depicts the mockingbird as a symbol of innocence that chants or sings of fond memories from the past. By contrast, Harper Lee’s famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, written almost a century after Whitman’s poem, portrays the mockingbird as innocent but as a fragile creature with horrific memories – memories of discrimination, isolation, and violence. Harper Lee wrote her novel, which is rooted in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the Deep South, during a time of segregation and discrimination, social issues which can be seen not only in the novel but were witnessed by Harper Lee in her own life. While Lee does insert bits and pieces of her own life into the novel, this fictional story is told by the character Jean Louise Finch, better known as “Scout.” She tells a horrific yet heroic story about a time in the 1930’s from a childhood perspective. The title of Lee’s book is not at first as apparent as it would seem. In fact, the only literal reference to the mockingbird appears only once in the novel. The reader, then, must probe deeply into the characters and events of the book to uncover the significance of the mockingbird. After seeing the treatment and the unyielding courage of Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch, the reader can easily identify these three as mockingbirds.
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is an astounding portrayal of Southern tradition and human dignity, a novel whose themes and lessons transcend time and place. The book is narrated by a young girl named Scout who matures over the course of the story from an innocent child to a morally conscience young adult. The cover of the novel displays a knot-holed tree containing a pocket watch and a ball of yarn, accompanied by the silhouette of a mockingbird soaring over the trees through a twilight sky. The portrait on the cover is an emblem that signifies the nature of Scout's maturation and the underlying themes presented by Harper Lee. Lee's signified themes, ethically rich and profoundly humane, epitomize traditional Southern mentality.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a heroic tale of leadership and courage during racial times. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus, To, Jem and Scout are unfortunately exposed to a really racist and prejudiced society and town. Which ends up causing them to lose a case and really confuse Jem and Scout when they are young. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, it uses characterization to help show a theme of loss of innocence when people are exposed to surprising and unfair situations.
Examples included Mrs. Dubose, Bob Ewell, and Miss Gates, all of whom were vicious, spiteful, venomous, and intolerant. Miss Gates said she hated Hitler, but was then unkind to black people. Bob Ewell spit in Atticus’ face because Atticus destroyed his credibility at the trial. Mrs. Dubose was taking her pain out on Jem and Scout, two young children, by yelling at them and insulting their father. Maycomb was an atrocious person, antagonistic and racist. Today, there are still places and people like Maycomb. Our society must attempt to be more thoughtful and help others. We can all make an effort to be like Atticus, Boo Radley, Miss Maudie, Jem, and Scout- kindhearted characters. This novel shows that there can be moral people in a cruel place, good in evil, but it also proves the opposite. All of humanity has a wicked and villainous side, with no exceptions. Life is full of love and compassion, corruption and hate, and there will always be another side of the spectrum- another version of the
By defending Tom Robinson, Atticus sacrifices his identity along with his family's reputation to stand tall and spread his beliefs on racial equality under the law but suffers through the limitation put on by the town of Maycomb.
One of the values of Maycomb is racism. However, there are a few that does not believe in this value, including Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a white man married to a black woman and has mixed children. He does not believe in society’s ideology regarding racism and knows that some citizens of Maycomb antagonize him. However, he does not care, as he prefers the colored people over white. He knows how unfair society is, from the way he gets treated. Moreover, Jem realizes the falsities of society, due to the injustice he sensed. After Tom’s verdict, Jem’s first clear sense of injustice provided a new perception on the world. When he was young, he believed that the people of Maycomb are the best folks, but the outcome of the trial changed this thought. Furthermore, Scout’s realization of the falsehood in society is with the hypocrisy of Miss Gates. She was taught by Miss Gates how Americans do not believe in persecution. However, Scout saw Miss Gates talk about the African Americans in an adverse way. Learning about the falsehood in society is part of
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves of classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for its execution of style and the importance of its content.
In to Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses characters to explore the different stereotypes in the Southern United States of the 1930s. Told through the eyes of Scout Finch you learn how these stereotypes are so absurd and fabricated they really were. The novel also portrays numerous examples of racism, sexism, in creative ways. The stereotypes and themes portrayed in this novel are exactly what makes it so relevant to today’s society.
Many students believe that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird displays social issues in early America. In this time standing against common customs was unacceptable, a violation of society. People believe that today courage has overcome adversity that was displayed in early America. Courage is the common subject of To Kill a Mockingbird, which allows Lee’s novel to defy the changing times of humanity. These morals are bound to the “impartiality” and “fairness” taught to people as children, but become unavoidably invisible though selfish actions. The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird express audacity along with resilience in the face of cowardice.
The lack of knowledge in Maycomb about the outside world and their opinions about black people ingrains ‘Maycomb’s usual disease’ into their minds as they have no other opinions about black people. This is shown by the crowd’s outrage as they gather to lynch Tom, not knowing that he was innocent, but blinded by their pre-conceived ideas about black people, thinking that Tom obviously did it as he was black. Their prejudice and ignorance blinded them to the fact that the Ewell’s had manipulated him to their own benefit. Also, this prejudice causes the people who are prejudiced to be as prejudiced towards people who are not. This is shown by Mrs Dubose’s statement to Jem, “Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for.” This shows that Atticus and his family are put on a lower level than normal citizens.
Racism presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. Some are blatant and open, but others are more insidious. One obvious way that racism presents itself is in the result of Tom Robinson’s trial. Another apparent example is the bullying Jem and Scout had to endure as a result of Atticus’s appointment as Tom Robinson’s defense attorney. A less easily discernible case is the persecution of Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who chose to live his life in close relation with the colored community.
Ultimately, the minor characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are crucial in rendering the novel a masterpiece. Their individuality is refreshing yet meaningful, as they break the stereotypes that attempt to limit a prejudiced society. Scout herself is deeply influenced by the characters she meets, and the experience only increases her wisdom. Also, the symbols portrayed through minor characters speak volumes about humankind- not only of our flaws but of the promise of change and redemption. In truth, minor characters are of utmost importance in any story, because the world an author creates is only as good as the characters that populate it.