Symbolism in To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee shows many symbols that depict society. Based in the 1930s racial prejudice was a huge part of everyday life. The symbol of the snowman can be seen as mixing both races together while the symbol of the mockingbird can be seen as segregation from those who are different. Both of these major symbols give depth to the novel and help people see problems of the time.

The theme of prejudice in the novel can best be perceived through the symbol of the mockingbird. Atticus advised his children that if they went hunting for birds to shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit em, but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird. Miss Maudie explains this further by saying, mockingbirds dont do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They dont eat up peoples gardens, dont nest in corncribs, they dont do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. Thats why its a sin to kill a mockingbird. Blue jays are considered to be the bullies of the bird world. They are loud, territorial and aggressive. The blue jays represent prejudiced bullies of Maycomb, such as Bob Ewell. Mockingbirds, on the other hand, are innocent and all they do is sing beautiful songs; they would not harm anyone. It is easy to understand that the mockingbird in the story is Tom Robinson, a harmless man who becomes a victim of racial prejudice. Like the mockingbird, Tom has never harmed anyone. Even the jurors who sentenced him to death had nothing personal against him. They found him guilty mostly because they felt that to take the word of a black man over two whites would threaten the system under which they lived, the system of segregation. After Tom was killed for attempting to escape from prison, Mr. Underwood wrote in an editorial that he simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Toms death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children. The parallel between killing a mockingbird and killing a cripple man, Tom is apparent here. Both of them are completely defenseless before their persecutors and, thus, it is sinful for them to be killed in that way. However, Tom Robinson is not the only mockingbird in the story. Boo Radley is another harmless creature who falls victim of cruelty. He is unjustly regarded as an evil person and used as the scapegoat for everything bad happening in town. Women are afraid of him and so are children. When the sheriff decided that he would not arrest Boo Radley for killing Bob Ewell and that would present his death as an accident, Atticus asked Scout if she understood the meaning of this decision. Scout replied that she did. Her exact words were, Well, itd be sort of like shootin a mockingbird, wouldnt it? Boo here is also compared to the gentle bird and again it would be a sin to be punished for the murder he committed. Boo Radleys view as a mockingbird emphasized the universality of human nature. Tom Robinsons case may be bound up with complex social problem of racial prejudice, but any neighborhood can have its Boo Radley, all but forgotten except as the subject of gossip and rumors.

One of the more effective symbols in the novel is the building of a snowman by Jem and Scout. There was not enough snow to make a snowman entirely out of snow, so Jem made a foundation out of dirt and then covered it with what show they had. If the snowman was made completely out of snow, Jems action would not be so significant. Scout is very surprised when she sees the brown snowman and exclaims, Jem, I aint never heard of a nigger snowman, and to this Jem replies, He wont be black long. Scouts words indicate the strange nature of the snowman which is half-black, half-white. Jem, however did not find it peculiar and he scooped up some snow and began plastering it on. Gradually Mr. Avery turned white. The symbol of the snowman can be considered to be merging of the two races into one, without any differences between them to separate them, an equality of black and white people. The change of color suggests the superficially of the color of skin, which should not be a criterion for judging people and dividing them into categories. Atticuss praise of Jems creation, I didnt know how you were going to do it, but from now on Ill never worry about whatll become of you, son, youll always have an idea, can be extended to mean that Atticus approves his sons views. Thus, the idea evoked to the reader is that people who carry healthy beliefs and reject racism and prejudice, like Jem, will most likely succeed in their lives.

Both the snowman and mockingbird are major symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. These symbols help shape the novel, as well as show problems of society during the 1930s. These symbols show readers how prejudice and attempts to remove it from society occurred at the time of the novel.