Analysis: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, she uses characterization, symbolism, and conflict to teach us that we shouldn’t assume bad things about people just because they are acting weird and that we should know why they are acting that way in the first place. They might just be good people after all.
One of the elements in the book is characterization. She uses this element to show us things about characters from other characters. Mayella Ewell acted like a little kid when she was sitting up in front in the courthouse. She isn’t the one to blame for this though, it is her father’s fault. She has been inside her house for her whole life and she doesn’t know how to act in public. She has no experience and has no idea what to do. Her father has kept her from leaving the house her whole life. We shouldn’t assume that Mayella is acting this way because she is just immature and we should know that it isn’t her fault. Someone else who everyone always assumes is bad is Arthur “Boo” Radley. Everyone always assumes that because he likes to stay in his house that he is bad or doing weird things in there. People also believe the story that he got locked in the basement for years. He never got locked in the basement, he just never decided to come out of his house. We find out in the end that he is a really nice person. He puts a blanket on Scout while they are watching the fire and he helped Jem and Scout when they got attacked in the woods. He brought Jem back to the house so he could get care for his broken arm. This shows us that he probably wasn’t kept in the basement because he is a nice guy.
Another element the author uses is symbolism. She uses this to show us certain things about the town. Tom and Atticus losing the case symbolizes the racism in the town. Atticus clearly should've won the case but the people are racist and voted against him. Another symbol in To Kill a Mockingbird is the mockingbird itself. The mockingbird stands for innocence and peacefulness. The
One of the elements in the book is characterization. She uses this element to show us things about characters from other characters. Mayella Ewell acted like a little kid when she was sitting up in front in the courthouse. She isn’t the one to blame for this though, it is her father’s fault. She has been inside her house for her whole life and she doesn’t know how to act in public. She has no experience and has no idea what to do. Her father has kept her from leaving the house her whole life. We shouldn’t assume that Mayella is acting this way because she is just immature and we should know that it isn’t her fault. Someone else who everyone always assumes is bad is Arthur “Boo” Radley. Everyone always assumes that because he likes to stay in his house that he is bad or doing weird things in there. People also believe the story that he got locked in the basement for years. He never got locked in the basement, he just never decided to come out of his house. We find out in the end that he is a really nice person. He puts a blanket on Scout while they are watching the fire and he helped Jem and Scout when they got attacked in the woods. He brought Jem back to the house so he could get care for his broken arm. This shows us that he probably wasn’t kept in the basement because he is a nice guy.
Another element the author uses is symbolism. She uses this to show us certain things about the town. Tom and Atticus losing the case symbolizes the racism in the town. Atticus clearly should've won the case but the people are racist and voted against him. Another symbol in To Kill a Mockingbird is the mockingbird itself. The mockingbird stands for innocence and peacefulness. The