To Kill A Mockingbird Symbolism Essay

In 1960, a novel was written to outline injustices and racism against those who were innocent, though unfairly judged because of social expectations and prejudiced beliefs. This novel not only presented these issues, but is also considered a revolutionary piece of literature, still being read by many people today, more than 50 years later. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has caused some controversy about the intents of the book and the way certain people or groups are presented. Whether To Kill a Mockingbird as a narrative outshines the issue it presents is a debatable argument. However, I believe that the narrative of the novel supports the concerns exhibited for numerous reasons. In what follows, some of these are presented: the historical …show more content…

Besides the main and infamous symbols of the novel such as the Mockingbird, symbolism is shown through other parts of the narrative. For example, the snowman that Jem and Scout build has various symbolic meanings. Because of the lack of snow available to them, they must build the foundation of the snowman with mud, and then they cover it with white snow in order to make it actually look like a snowman. They see the resemblance between their creation and their neighbour. ’Mr. Avery’s sort of shaped like a snowman, ain’t he?’. Mr Avery is a cruel character to the children. The snowman can be seen as symbolic of people, like Mr Avery, who have white skin, but inside, their heart is black. The burning of the snowman foreshadows how Atticus ‘destroyed his (Mr Ewell’s) last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with’, and how his true intentions were revealed. Another symbolism of the snowman is that it is made of black mud and white snow, they complete each other to make a full snowman. It symbolises how black and white people should coexist and work together harmoniously. Jem questions the racial prejudice, saying ‘If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?’ In addition, the snowman can be seen as symbolic of the foundations of a white society being based on …show more content…

This includes the historical period of the writing of the novel, the symbolic meaning of the plot and other parts of the narrative, and the characters which help us understand the way we should act in society being just, empathetic and