A Sin To Kill A Mocking Bird Analysis

It is a sin to kill a mockingbird. This simple phrase seems unimportant and trivial, however, it has a much deeper meaning. The understanding, or misinterpretation, of this phrase makes all the difference in this book. In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, there are three main literary elements throughout the story. These elements are imagery, symbolism, and allegory and are used to show the themes of misunderstandings, courage, and prejudice.

The first literary element in “To Kill A Mockingbird” is symbolism and it is used in this book to subtly show the themes of the book in things like the mockingbird. For example, in chapter 10 page 119; Atticus told the kids that they can shoot all the tin cans and birds they want with their air-rifles, but it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. Throughout the book we learn and see many instances where the mockingbird is a symbol of innocence and justice. This is because the mockingbird is an innocent creature that does no harm to anyone and only mind their own business. This relates to the …show more content…
For example in chapter 1 page 43, the book says “A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked. The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot; from the Radley chicken yard tall pecan trees shook their fruit into the schoolyard, but the nuts lay untouched by the children: Radley pecans would kill you. A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no questions asked.” This imagery was used to describe how scary the Radley house was along with how frightened society was of Boo Radley. It also showed the audience how courageous Scout and Jem were for going into that property when no one else would. This shows how the literary element imagery properly shows the theme of courage in the