Symbolism, Themes, and Motifs in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

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Harper Lee wrote the novel To Kill a Mockingbird in the mid-1950. The narrator, Scout, grows alongside her brother in Maycomb County, Alabama. Growing up in a time of extreme racism, they face many struggles dealing with discrimination. In the novel, their father, Atticus Finch, defends a black man who was falsely accused of raping a white woman. Lee grew up in a time where situations happened that were similar to those in the novel. She grew up in a small town that was much like Maycomb County. Like Jem and Scout, Lee’s father was also a Lawyer. In her novel, Harper Lee uses many examples of symbolism, themes, and motifs to tell the story of Scout growing up and learning life lessons in a sleepy town in Alabama.

Symbols are used to portray concepts. Lee uses multiple examples of symbolism in the novel. The mockingbird became the main symbol throughout the novel when Atticus tells Jem and Scout that it is okay to kill blue jays, but killing a mockingbird is wrong. This is where the title of the novel comes from. Mockingbirds are harmless and innocent creatures (Lee). Many things represent the mockingbird. For instance, being naïve. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are prime examples of this. They are both innocent and would not harm anyone (Murray). The mockingbird is also a symbol of tolerance (Tavernier-Courbin). An example of this is the relationship between Mrs. Dubose and Atticus Finch. Despite how badly she thinks and talks about Atticus, he still says that she is a good woman (Lee).

In the novel, Boo and Tom are caged birds. Tom is in jail for the majority of the story since Mayella wrongly accused him of raping her. Boo's father kept him locked up in his home (Boundaries). His imprisonment leads to the children of Maycomb...

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