'I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go
after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want , if you can hit 'em, but
remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.' This is what Atticus Finch
tells his children after they are given air-rifles for Christmas. Uniquely,
the title of the classic novel by Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird, was
taken from this passage. At first glance, one may wonder why Harper Lee
decided to name her book after what seems to be a rather insignificant
excerpt. After careful study, however, one begins to see that this is just
another example of symbolism in the novel. Harper Lee uses symbolism rather
extensively throughout this story, and much of it refers to the problems of
racism in the South during the early twentieth century. Harper Lee's
effective use of racial symbolism can be seen by studying various examples
from the book.
Screenshot of To Kill a Mockingbird(an American mo...
President George W. Bush awards the Presidential M...
Film producer Alan J. Pakula with Lee; Lee spent t...This includes the actions of the children, the racist
whites, and the actions of Atticus Finch.
The actions of the children in this novel certainly do have their share of
symbolism. For instance, the building of a snowman by Jem and Scout one
winter is very symbolic. 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 snow they had. One could interpret this in two
different ways. First of all, the creation of the snowman by Jem can be
seen as being symbolic of Jem trying to cover up the black man and showing
that he is the same as the white man, that all human beings are virtually
the same. Approval of these views is shown by Atticus when he...