Symbolism To Kill a Mockingbird

Symbolism
To Kill a Mockingbird
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.
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
The Mockingbird
• Bluejays, on the other hand, are
considered to be the bullies of the bird
world. They are very loud, territorial, and
aggressive.
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?”
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.
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)
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)
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)
The Mockingbird
• Reference to the Holocaust in Germany;
persecution of Jews – the only difference
is that Miss Gates is compassionate about
them. (ch 26)
The Mad Dog
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.
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.
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).
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.
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).
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)
Flowers:
Camellias & Snowon-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-onthe-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”
Flowers: Camellia &
Snow-on-theMountain
• 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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
Knothole gifts
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Gum
Indian head pennies
Twine
Soap dolls
Spelling medal
Pocket watch
Knife
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.
Nathan Cements the Tree:
-cements the end of the
friendship
-cements that Jem will never
thank him
-cements Boo’s
imprisonment
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.
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.
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.”
• 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.
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.
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
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
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