Symbolism
This is an image of a mockingbird which is a very important symbol used throughout the novel.
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Mockingbird- A big symbol portrayed throughout the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is the mockingbird. It can represent many things such as integration, innocence, and more. A mockingbird is both black and white which shows the two colors coming together to form one. The mockingbird is also a peaceful bird that doesn’t do anything wrong, does not bother people, and as it’s stated novel, Mockingbirds just make music and bring joy to people. Mockingbirds are innocent, and throughout the book many people have been seen to be like a mockingbird. Boo Radley who was accused of being crazy; and Tom Robinson, who was accused of being a rapist, are both symbolized as mockingbirds. I think Atticus, would be symbolized as a blue jay though, because like he said himself, “you can shoot all the blue jays you want but it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” This shows how no matter how many racist people you kill , their will always still be more racist people, but there are very few people who see the world differently, like mockingbirds.
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This is Tim Johnson, an old dog, who was very ill. He was
walking down the street and Atticus shot him to put him out of his misery. |
Mad dog- In Maycomb, closed doors symbolizes disease and sickness. One day when Jem and Scout were walking they saw a dog that looked sick. Calpurnia ran and told everyone on their street to close their doors which shows how the dog might have been sick or carried a disease. The disease the mad dog symbolized was racism. When Atticus shot the dog he dropped his glasses to the ground, but even after it was dead, he still didn’t go near it.This was because even though the dog was dead, the disease of racism wasn’t. This demonstrates how even though you might think racism is dead or even if you can’t see the racism anymore, it will always be there.
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This is a white camellia just like the one Mrs. Dubose gave to Jem in a candy box after she died.
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White Camellia- Another symbol is the white camellia that Mrs. Dubose gifted to Jem when she died. White shows purity and innocence, but it can also symbolize something like the KKK or white supremacy. When Jem destroyed all of Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes, he destroyed them from the blooms. Camellia’s though, have to be ripped out from the roots to actually die. Attacking the bloom would just temporarily stop camellia’s from growing, but in the future they will continue to grow. This can represent how if you want to kill racism, you have to come for its roots to completely destroy it. By Mrs. Dubose giving this to Jem, I think she is trying to teach Jem how to put an end to racism and make Maycomb pure. |
This is the book "The Gray Ghost" which has many different symbolic meanings in "To Kill A Mockingbird."
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The Gray Ghost- The book “The Gray Ghost,” pops up a few times throughout the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and it could symbolize several things. “The Gray Ghost,” could symbolize the life of Boo, since he is like a ghost and nobody ever sees him. Also, nobody ever sees the innocence in Boo. But that isn’t the only way it could symbolize something involving Boo. The Gray Ghost can also symbolize the way Boo sees Maycomb. Boo sees Maycomb from a completely different perspectives than others do. He is quiet, innocent, and since he is always inside, he sees and notices everything and everyone. Not only can Boo be the gray ghost, Atticus can too. Atticus is always seen past as a nice, caring person, who helped out the Robinsons and is loved by everyone. This is not the case though, Atticus is the gray ghost because he is not who he says he is. He has another side to him that nobody has seen until Scout was on Boo’s front porch. Atticus is racist and may even have been part of the KKK. This shows how Atticus is a completely different person and nobody saw the real him because it was invisible, like a ghost.
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These are red geraniums just like the ones Mayella held during her trial.
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Mayella’s Red Geraniums- Mayella’s red geraniums in, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” represent her hope. As an Ewell, Mayella is considered “white trash” as she lives in a complete dump. But mixed in with all that trash and slop are Mayella’s geraniums. Geraniums are flowers and flowers represent hope, beauty, and gentleness. Mayella might have those geraniums to bring beauty into her awful life. Maybe, she has them as a reminder of hope that someday she will have a better life than the one she is living though. In specific, Mayella’s geraniums are red, which can be the color of love and passion, but can also be the color of evil and blood. The blood and evil can show the bad things that go on in the Ewell house. Maybe the evil is Bob Ewell and maybe he is the one who raped Mayella. The red geranium can also symbolize one more thing. It can symbolize death and how Toms death is approaching, so she is holding his life in her hands.
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