Symbolism of Prejudice in to Kill a Mockingbird
Analyse how symbolism was used to convey an interesting idea in an extended written text
Prejudice, in the 1930s, was an extremely relevant issue regarding the racism that was present throughout society – particularly in the south of the United States, which is where the novel To Kill A Mockingbird is set. Through the course of the novel, Harper Lee conveys the idea of prejudice to the reader in a variety of forms – mostly by use of symbolism. The most powerful examples of this symbolism are the use of the term ‘mockingbird’ - which is used to symbolise someone who does no wrong in the world, Boo Radley – who is a symbol of how communities and individuals can promote and maintain prejudice, and lastly the Snowman created by Jem – which develops into a symbol of equality, therefore being its own symbol of what the opposite of prejudice is, and teaches the young children to be accepting of racial diversity, as on the inside we are all the same.
The symbol of the mockingbird is important all through the novel, which is primarily obvious as the title of the novel makes a reference to an important conversation between the major-complex character, Scout, and her father, Atticus. Within the novel, the mockingbird represents something which only does good for the world, which is why it is said to be a sin to kill one – because of this; the mockingbird conveys the idea of prejudice well when it is used to describe Tom Robinson. This idea of prejudice is conveyed as even though Tom Robinson has not done anything wrong, he is still prosecuted and ultimately killed despite his innocence, merely due to the colour of his skin. This racial prejudice is referred to in the novel as “Maycomb’s disease”. Atticus tries to install a sense of acceptance within Scout from an early age; an example of this is the conversation where he lets Scout know that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”. After this conversation, Scout then seeks a deeper explanation from her mother-figure, Miss Maudie,
Prejudice, in the 1930s, was an extremely relevant issue regarding the racism that was present throughout society – particularly in the south of the United States, which is where the novel To Kill A Mockingbird is set. Through the course of the novel, Harper Lee conveys the idea of prejudice to the reader in a variety of forms – mostly by use of symbolism. The most powerful examples of this symbolism are the use of the term ‘mockingbird’ - which is used to symbolise someone who does no wrong in the world, Boo Radley – who is a symbol of how communities and individuals can promote and maintain prejudice, and lastly the Snowman created by Jem – which develops into a symbol of equality, therefore being its own symbol of what the opposite of prejudice is, and teaches the young children to be accepting of racial diversity, as on the inside we are all the same.
The symbol of the mockingbird is important all through the novel, which is primarily obvious as the title of the novel makes a reference to an important conversation between the major-complex character, Scout, and her father, Atticus. Within the novel, the mockingbird represents something which only does good for the world, which is why it is said to be a sin to kill one – because of this; the mockingbird conveys the idea of prejudice well when it is used to describe Tom Robinson. This idea of prejudice is conveyed as even though Tom Robinson has not done anything wrong, he is still prosecuted and ultimately killed despite his innocence, merely due to the colour of his skin. This racial prejudice is referred to in the novel as “Maycomb’s disease”. Atticus tries to install a sense of acceptance within Scout from an early age; an example of this is the conversation where he lets Scout know that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”. After this conversation, Scout then seeks a deeper explanation from her mother-figure, Miss Maudie,