Symbolism in to Kill a Mockingbird

¶ … Kill Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that discusses race relations and the justice system in American culture. Atticus is a lawyer who defends a black man on trial for raping a white woman. As a result, the community is against Atticus and his family. Symbolism is one way that author Harper Lee discusses the sensitive issues in the novel, which was published first in 1960. At that time, the Civil Rights Act had not been passed and blacks were discriminated against in society. The United States still practiced racial segregation, especially in the South, when Harper Lee wrote the book. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the author shows how black men were often accused and convicted of crimes they did not commit. The book also shows how difficult it was to eliminate racism, even when there were people who did not believe in it. Harper Lee's novel was important for exposing racism in the American South and showing how it impacts children as well as adults. Lee uses many literary techniques in the story, including characterization, setting, and point-of-view. One of the literary techniques that Harper Lee uses in To Kill a Mockingbird is symbolism. Some of the main symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird include the mad dog, the snowman, and of course, the mockingbird. The mad dog, the snowman, and the mockingbird are all symbols that convey a deeper message in To Kill a Mockingbird.

The mad dog appears in Chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird, and is a symbol that allows Atticus to prove his character. The incident occurs after Scout is discussing how she is embarrassed that her dad is older than her friends' dads. Scout calls her dad "feeble," because he is fifty years old. Here, Scout also questions her father's abilities and "manliness." Scout even thinks her father does not actually "do anything." Scout's feelings about her father are about to change because of the mad dog. Some foreshadowing of the event is given when Scout talks about how her father does not like guns anymore because he is concerned that Jem will go out back and shoot birds with it. Later, Calpurnia calls Atticus and warns him that there is a "mad dog" in the neighborhood and that they are all in danger. Then, Mr. Tate gives Atticus a rifle and asks him to shoot the dog while Scout watches. It is a defining moment in Atticus's character when he shoots the dog. For one, Atticus drops his glasses before shooting. He did not even see straight. Second, Atticus shoots the dog on the first shot. This means that he is good enough that he can shoot blindly. Third, the incident proves that Scout was wrong when she assumed that her father was "feeble" and had lost his "manliness," because shooting the dog is a masculine act. Plus, as Meyer points out, "his action also reaffirms his loyalty to the town of Maycomb by putting his life on the line to protect its citizens," (162). Atticus is willing to get rid of ill elements in his community, elements that are symbolized by the dog.

The snowman is a symbol of race in To Kill a Mockingbird. In Chapter 8, Jem and Scout try to build a snowman together. However, the snow is muddy. Because the snow is black, Scout states, "Jem, I ain't ever heard of a nigger snowman." Jem replies that it "won't be black long." Scout therefore shows the reader that she has been influenced by the racist concepts taught in her community. The comments made by Scout and Jem also show that blackness was viewed as something "dirty," and as an undesirable trait. With some fresh snow, they are able to make the snowman white and they are proud of it then. However, there is a fire and when the fireman try to put it out, they have to spray the snowman. As the snowman melts, it turns black again. Dave points out, "the snow-man turning alternately white and black suggests how frail and skin-deep is the color," (2). In other words, American people believe that color means something but in the end, it means nothing. Like a snowman, it is not even real.

The ultimate symbol of To Kill a Mockingbird is in its title: the mockingbird itself. In Chapter 10, Atticus states to Scout that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." This statement shows why the mockingbird symbol is important to the story. A mockingbird symbolizes many things in the novel, most importantly freedom and innocence. As Miss Maudie states, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corneribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird," (Chapter 10). At this point, the mockingbird symbolizes Tom Robinson, who is an innocent man. It is a sin to kill him. Birds in general are symbols in the novel, because Atticus' last name is Finch. Another aspect of the symbolism of birds is that they can see the bigger picture, unlike creatures that are bound to the earth. Atticus, with his last name being a bird, sees the bigger picture when he defends Tom Robinson and exposes the problem of racism in America.