Symbolism

1. Symbolism To Kill a Mockingbird

2. The Mockingbird • A creature that should never be killed because it is harmless and even provides song for the enjoyment of others. • Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are basically blameless individuals who are at the mercy of society, yet society is cruel to Boo and ultimately Tom is murdered.

3. The Mockingbird • The symbol of the mockingbird also points to Scout, both as an innocent child and as the grown-up narrator who “sings a song” in telling the story. • Both Boo and Tom are discriminated against in Maycomb when they are, in fact, kind and gentle people

4. The Mockingbird • Bluejays, on the other hand, are considered to be the bullies of the bird world. They are very loud, territorial, and aggressive.

5. The Mockingbird • Atticus tells the children that it is a “sin to kill a mockingbird” • Mr. Underwood wrote in an editorial that “it was a sin to kill cripples […and] he likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” • When Heck Tate decided that he would not arrest (or publicly praise) Boo for killing Bob Ewell and that Bob’s death would be presented as an accident, Atticus asked Scout if she understood the meaning of this decision. She replied saying she did: “Well, it’d be sort of like killing a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”

6. The Mockingbird • The mockingbird is a bird that has no song of its own; it just imitates other birds. Therefore it makes itself present by being seen through other birds – • Tom has never done anything wrong; he only works hard and tries to be a good man by helping others; this is his song. • Dill could have been a mockingbird, but his place in and acceptance by the Finch family saves him from persecution.

7. The Mockingbird • As Atticus cross-examines Mayella, he is clearly disturbed by the methods he has to use to save Tom’s life. He must hurt a helpless creature who is doing the best she can in a battle she lost at birth. • Mayella is a mockingbird of sorts and Atticus must kill her. However, she is not entirely a helpless victim as she is hurting another person to save herself. (ch 18)

8. The Mockingbird • The black community, being helpless under the white control of southern society, can also be seen as a potential mockingbird. • Scout tells Dill and Dolphus Raymond that, “Atticus says cheatin’ a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man…it’s the worst thing you can do.” (ch 20)

9. The Mockingbird • Jem scolds Scout for hurting a roly-poly: “Because they don’t bother you.” • Helen Robinson, upon hearing of Tom’s murder, “just fell down in the dirt. Just fell down in the dirt like a giant with a big foot just came along and stepped on her…Like you’d step on an ant.” • Mr. Ewell speaks of Tom Robinson, Judge Taylor, and Atticus Finch as if they are less than human: “One down and about two more to go.” (ch 25)

10. The Mockingbird • Reference to the Holocaust in Germany; persecution of Jews – the only difference is that Miss Gates is compassionate about them. (ch 26)

11. The Mad Dog

12. The Mad Dog • The madness of Maycomb’s racial prejudices. • Bob Ewell can be seen as a mad dog because he does not think rationally and his prejudices and hatred consume him like a disease and spread through the town like a virus. • Mad dogs “usually go in a straight line” according to Heck Tate. This symbolizes the stubborn attitude of the people of Maycomb who are either too proud or too lazy to change their minds.

13. The Mad Dog • Tim Johnson was probably infected with a contagious disease such as rabies and so “he’s just as dangerous dead as alive.” • Heck Tate said about Bob Ewell: “there are just some kind of men you have to shoot before you can say howdy to 'em.” • Atticus is the only one present at the time that can kill the dog (Tim Johnson) and put it out of its misery.

14. The Mad Dog • Therefore, Atticus can be seen as the only one who can help Maycomb see the error of its ways and try to bring peace to the racial conflict and putting that “mad dog” down. • Atticus is the hero who destroys the evil: he stops the disease of prejudice from spreading further. • When the jury returns, Scout knows they will return a guilty verdict before the decision is read: “I saw something only a lawyer's child could be expected to see, could be expected to watch for, and it was like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing that the gun was empty. A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson (ch 21).

15. The Mad Dog = The Mob (ch 15) • The Mad Dog is impervious to reason; is diseased and mindlessly pursues a path from which he cannot deviate; is unable to recognize those humans he would normally be friendly to • Anonymity is the driving force behind all mob action; as soon as a single human being is drawn out of the dark, the power lessens.

16. The Mad Dog = The Mob (ch 15) • The first group to speak to Atticus is ch. 15 do so in the daylight at his home: the children recognize them and they are seen as individuals. Both Atticus and the men attempt to reason with each other. • Like the dog, the mob at the jail cell is intent on one purpose; like the dog, Atticus cannot use his normal weapons (his mind and his words). Instead, violence may once again have been the only option (Mr. Underwood – who happened to be one of the men at his home).

17. The Mad Dog = The Mob (ch 16) • Scout sees the parallel between the mad dog and mob and she cries the morning after. She just taught herself something for the first time in the novel. • Later, Atticus reinforces this when he says, “So it took an eight-year-old child to bring 'em to their senses.... That proves something - that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human.  Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children” (ch. 16)

18. Flowers:Camellias & Snow-on-the-Mountains • The camellia is a state flower of Alabama; symbolically Jem attempts to destroy the prejudice of the people of Alabama. • This is not an easy task. Mrs. Dubose taunts, “Thought you could kill my Snow-on-the-Mountain, did you?[…] the top’s growing back out. Next time you’ll know how to do it right, won’t you? You’ll pull it up by the roots, won’t you”

19. Flowers: Camellia & Snow-on-the-Mountain • In order to combat prejudice, one must tackle the root of the problem, the attitudes planted in the minds of people for many generations. • Pulling roots is far more difficult than cutting the tops off of the flowers, symbolizing the difficulty of destroying prejudice. • The camellias represent courage, tolerance, and patience for both Jem and Mrs. Dubose.

20. Flowers: Geraniums • The geraniums in Mayella’s yard are symbolic of her yearning for a better life and to be more than she is perceived to be. • In a decaying house, Mayella’s flowers seem out of place. If they were not so common, they would belong better in Miss Maudie’s yard since such flowers need to be taken care of with love – which is not evident in the Ewell home.

21. Names • Bird references: FINCH, ROBINson • A “scout” is someone who goes in front of a group of people to see what lies ahead. Scout Finch goes ahead of the others (her peers and even some adults) to realize the perils of racism. A perfect name for an inquisitive, curious child • Jem: gem; jewel, something precious and valuable.

22. Names • Tom Robinson: an allusion to the literary character Uncle Tom and the novel’s main symbolic motif. • Mayella Violet Ewell: • Mayella: evokes the word “yellow”, a slang word for coward (coward for refusing to recant her false accusation of rape). • Violet – derivation of violent (victim of her father’s violence)

23. Names • Bob Ewell (Robert E. Lee Ewell): Confederate general Robert E. Lee. There was also another Civil War leader by the name of General Richard Ewell. Bob Ewell represents racism and the Old South. • Atticus: derivation of the name of Roman philosopher who was known for being impartial in arguments.

24. Knothole gifts • Gum • Indian head pennies • Twine • Soap dolls • Spelling medal • Pocket watch • Knife

25. Importance of Knothole • The knothole is a source of communication • Boo communicates with J&S by leaving gifts in the tree since he can’t go outside • The kids fantasize about him • He is trying to give them small pieces of himself • Each gift gives them a little more insight into Boo as a person.

26. Nathan Cements the Tree: -cements the end of the friendship -cements that Jem will never thank him -cements Boo’s imprisonment

27. The tree that Nathan describes as dying might symbolize the Radley family tree – diseased by Mr. Radley’s cruelty towards Boo. He (Mr. Nathan) might also view the family tree as diseased b/c of Arthur – his perceived mental illness is the knothole / disease in the tree.

28. Atticus (reasonable and nonjudgmental) does not see “Boo” as “diseased”, nor does he see the knothole as a symptom of a disease. The cement covers up the imperfection in the family.

29. Before the rumors ever started, the Radleys were discriminated against because they “kept to themselves …they did not go to church, Maycomb’s principal recreation, but worshipped at home; Mrs. Radley seldom if ever crossed the street for midmorning coffee break with her neighbors and certainly never joined a missionary circle.”

30. Because of the Radley’s isolated ways, there were unknown to the townspeople and were often the topic of spiteful gossip. • After his father dies, Nathan is in charge. • Because he was locked away for thirty years, Arthur suffered more than mental damage; he was robbed of his childhood and his future.

31. Symbolism: The Snowman • It was the first snowstorm of Maycomb County since 1885 • Because there was only a feeble layer of “soggy snow” (92), Jem & Scout had to find other materials to build a snowman. With earth, Jem then “scooped up some snow and began plastering it on” (95). • This snowman symbolizes the fact that the only way for humans to succeed in building civilization is for its races to work together.

32. Symbolism: The Snowman • The dark earth = blacks, but as Scout says, “Whoever heard of a n*r snowman?” • Jem then puts white snow over the foundation of earth; the whites are on top/ they dominate • Without snow, the snowman would not be true to its name • Without earth, it would be a puny lump of snow • The more we work together, the more we can accomplish

33. Symbolism: The Snowman • The foundation of the South was laid by the hard work of the blacks – slaves worked to the make the plantations thrive. • Without the strength of their labor, there would be no South as it appears in TKM; without the mud, there would be no snowman. • Snow vs Fire

34. Pocket Watch • From Boo Radley Jem feels that he is grown up and carries this pocket watch to symbolise how he feels he has matured. This is unacknowledged by those around him • From Atticus (67) When he is allowed to keep the pocket watch from Atticus this symbolises a passing on of family values and Atticus’ acknowledgement of Jem’s maturity