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Symbolism in harper lee's to kill a mockingbird
Symbolism in harper lee's to kill a mockingbird
Symbolism in mockingbird by harper lee
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Harper Lee displays true courage in To Kill a Mockingbird in several situations by very different characters. They each fight against the most difficult struggles in life such as racism and prejudice, the fear of society, and addiction. While most people would surrender to these kinds of situations, these characters, upon the names Atticus Finch, Boo Radley and Mrs. Dubose didn't. Even though they share almost nothing in common, there is one thing they each desire. That desire is the inner aspiration to take risks and succeed in doing what is righteous, no matter the cost. Throughout the novel, Atticus, Boo and Mrs. Dubose all show their true courage through moral strength, bravery and perseverance. Atticus, a just, fair man portrays courage …show more content…
He remains bombarded with constant ridicule from the other residents of Maycomb, yet his bravery allows him to aid others such as Jem and Scout when help is needed. He provides gifts for them and even fixes Jem's pants as well as saving their lives from Bob Ewell. Although he prefers to "stay shut up in [his] house all [the] time" (117), his courage allows him to venture out of his comfort zone for the benefit of others. He risks his own life to save two kids whom he doesn't even know without ever hinting his presence. As Scout declares, "Neighbours bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbour. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken chain and watch, a pair of good luck pennies and our lives" (320). Although Boo will probably never be fully acknowledged for his actions, he chooses to do what he did because of his courage. He helps others, withstands the constant ridicule of the other residents and risks being seen publicly after many years of hiding during the process. Boo Radley is truly a hero through his courage to do things for a noble cause without ever expecting a …show more content…
Atticus, Boo Radley and Mrs. Dubose understand the challenges they are going to face but they continue to stay strong. They each try their best tackling these challenges, not expecting to win, but to fight the opposing force. Atticus' moral strength clearly allows him to display the courage needed to do such a significant task as well as Boo's bravery and Mrs. Dubose's internal resilience. They could win or they could lose but what matters most is their sake for good
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that is prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others. When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual.
Courage is a deed that can be portrayed in many ways. In the Historical Fiction novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, there are many acts of racism and problematic cases where acts of courage are demonstrated in different and unique ways that can only be deciphered if one reads in between the lines of the words. There are three characters in particular who show courage in diverse ways. First, there is Arthur Radley who anonymously shows courage by performing tasks that cause him to face the outside world where he’s been isolated from for so long. Secondly, there is Scout Finch who demonstrates courage through her adolescent age. Lastly, there is Atticus Finch who displays courage through his selfless and kind actions. Therefore, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses diverse characters to represent different acts of courage.
Doing the right thing is not always easy. In the classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the characters Atticus, Boo, and Jem are faced with many of life’s obstacles. Each character must dig deeply into themselves to truly discover the difference between right and wrong. It takes a great deal of courage to face inner fears and make the right decision. Some of the character’s behavior is typical while some is atypical. Throughout the novel Atticus, Boo and Jem demonstrate, through actions, the important theme that everyone is brave in their own way.
"Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory." ~John Maxwell. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch), and Atticus Finch display acts of valor that contribute, and in some cases encourage their rectitude. Harper Lee demonstrates that acting courageously can lead to an improved, sustained, or newly developed personal integrity.
Atticus Finch was a true hero, in my eyes. He had all the essentials to being a hero, such as; respect, equality, and quiet dignity. Sure, Mr. Finch didn’t quite reach his goal of winning the Tom Robinson case, but it was the fact that he attempted it, knowing he would lose. A hero is not someone who achieves something, but is a person that attempts to. The journey to your goal might even be more important than the actual achievement, because on your way to the top, struggles appear and you overcome them by learning new lessons to live by in life. In conclusion, Atticus Finch truly is America’s greatest hero.
This novel tends us to picture Atticus as a very courageous man. His definition for this term doesn?t mean bravery or a man with a gun in his hand. He defines courage as ?When you know you are licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what?. Atticus?s courage is represented very significantly and differently in this book. He undertook the case of a Negro who was wrongly accused of raping a white girl. He went against the whole racist community of the town. The opposition of the racist people failed to make him step back from the case. He just fought the case courageously. But the white jury couldn?t possibly be expected to take a black person?s work against the whites.
Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew” (Lee 149). I think that it shows the courage that even though morphine is extremely addictive Mrs. Dubose tried her hardest to be free of it even when she knew it would be hard. She seems like a strong woman and that she was grown up on the principle to always try your hardest and never give up. She knew she couldn’t do it right away so she was clever enough to do it slowly. Finally, in this quote Scout is fighting with Francis even though she was not supposed to; “This time, I split my knuckle to the bone on his front teeth. My left impaired, I sailed in with my right, but not for long. Uncle Jack pinned my arms to my sides and said ‘Stand still!’” (Lee 112) This shows courage because even though she was told not to fight even if it is to protect someone. I think this shows that she will not tolerate people talking bad about the people she cares about and that she is extremely loyal. Based on my findings I can see that Harper Lee uses Scout, Atticus, and Mrs. Dubose in these ways to show courage by showing that they will fight for what is right no matter if they get in trouble or will have problems along the
Atticus stated, “She died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew’”. Mrs. Dubose’s fearless heart kept her going until it ceased beating. Harper Lee achieved the most important dream of a writer; her book is timeless. The theme of To Kill a Mockingbird, courage, is one that no one can deny, is a central idea not only in the novel but also in life.
Dubose passes away. “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). Atticus explains to Jem and Scout what true courage is, because Jem and Scout saw Atticus shoot the mad dog, they thought that was courage. Atticus contrarily tells them that courage isn’t always a man with a gun in his hand, but it’s a person who’s brave, and does the right thing no matter what people think of them. This subsequently leads to my final quote, which is Atticus further explaining why Mrs. Dubose was the most courageous women he had ever met. “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 person I ever knew” (Lee
Another person who displays inner strength is Boo Radley. He is able to break out of his comfort zone and stand up for what is right, despite his fear. The most daring character in the novel is Atticus Finch. Although most of the town is against him, he continues onward and faces hatred with dignity and respect. Each of these extraordinary individuals represents Harper Lee’s belief that real courage is doing the right thing, even if it requires standing up against the majority.
Atticus’s real courage drove him to put aside the criticism and risk, and take up and fight the Tom Robinson’s controversial case. It is evident that these three characters in To Kill a Mockingbird display acts of real courage, even when they know they are fighting a losing battle.
"Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel.
Among the many plots within the story, many of them surround Boo Radley or attempting to have Boo Radley come out of his house. In these stories show Jem, Scout, and Dill are terrified of the Radley house and what be inside. However, they are mistaken, for Boo Radley wants to do the exact opposite of scaring the children. For example, Boo tries to show friendship to Scout and Jem by leaving them gifts in the tree outside of his house. These gifts include dolls, gum, a knife, a watch, etc. Boo also is thought to have wrapped Scout in a blanket during the chapter in which Miss Maudie’s house had burned down. Boo Radley is thought to have done it because Atticus says “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.” (Lee 96) supporting the fact that Boo Radley was looking out for Scout. Lastly, Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem when they were attacked by Bob Ewell. This heroic effort was not only full of care, but also, full of
On the way back Atticus just walked by and told Mrs. Dubose, ? you look as pretty as a picture? Mrs. Dubose was so stunned that she could not say a word back to him. Later Jem and scout leaned how courageous Mrs. Dubose really was after Jem cut up her camellia bushes, the kids found out that she was a morphine attic brave enough to get off the drug that killed her. Atticus was incredibly courageous taking on tom Robinsons case against the prejudice of Macomb County and he shows incredible courage when he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and won.
In the beginning of the story, Jem, Scout, and Dill fabricate horror stories about Boo. They find Boo as a character of their amusement, and one who has no feelings whatsoever. They tried to get a peep at him, just to see what Boo looked like. Scout connects Boo with the Mockingbird. Mrs. Maudie defines a mockingbird as one who "…don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us" (94). Boo is exactly that. Boo is the person who put a blanket around Scout and Jem when it was cold. Boo was the one putting "gifts" in the tree. Boo even sewed up Jem’s pants that tore on Dill’s last night. Boo was the one who saved their lives. On the contrary to Scout’s primary belief, Boo never harms anyone. Scout also realizes that she wrongfully treated Boo when she thinks about the gifts in the tree. She never gave anything back to Boo, except love at the end.