Symbolism The title, To Kill a Mockingbird, has little connection to the actual plot, yet it holds great symbolic weight in the book. The story is based off of innocents destroyed by evil, making the mockingbird the symbol for innocence. A number of characters can be represented by a mockingbird throughout the book, including Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and the mad dog. The connection made between the title and the main theme of the novel is made explicit in the novel multiple times. After Tom Robinson is shot, many of the characters had mixed feelings. Mr. Underwood compares his death to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds” (Lee 323). This comparison shows the innocence in in Tom Robinson and that he shouldn’t have died for a crime he did
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Anaya uses a curious main character that lets the story wander through his dreams and ponderings. Tony veers from idea to idea based off of stories he has been told or questions he has about the world. For instance, Tony often questions his beliefs in God and forgiveness of sin. As he thinks about this, he recalls a tale, “My mother had told me the story of the Mexican man, Diego, who had seen la Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico. She had appeared to him and spoken to him, and She had given him a sign” (Anaya 187). This story appeared when Antonio was wondering if he will ever understand why God had let Narciso, who was protecting Ultima, lose his life, while the evil Tenorio who had taken a life, was unpunished. Antonio questions God throughout the entire book, but never gets an answer to any of his questions. He continues to wander for more information, yet keeps returning to the same questions over and over again. As Tony wanders in and out of past memories and current dreams, these tales mirror the experiences he is living throughout the novel. Antonio does not follow a single path to understand his thoughts; Ultima guides him to help him understand life through stories he shares. Anaya tells stories of natural cycles instead of historical events. She also puts a major focus on dream imagery to allow the reader to analyze the novel as a more poetic style of writing. Readers only see the novel through Antonio’s eyes, but the author represents other characters’ views through dialogue and conversations with Antonio. This allows readers to come up with our own views on the religion and conflicts occurring. It also let’s readers know other views on the same topic, especially because the narrator is a story about an adolescent
Anaya uses a curious main character that lets the story wander through his dreams and ponderings. Tony veers from idea to idea based off of stories he has been told or questions he has about the world. For instance, Tony often questions his beliefs in God and forgiveness of sin. As he thinks about this, he recalls a tale, “My mother had told me the story of the Mexican man, Diego, who had seen la Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico. She had appeared to him and spoken to him, and She had given him a sign” (Anaya 187). This story appeared when Antonio was wondering if he will ever understand why God had let Narciso, who was protecting Ultima, lose his life, while the evil Tenorio who had taken a life, was unpunished. Antonio questions God throughout the entire book, but never gets an answer to any of his questions. He continues to wander for more information, yet keeps returning to the same questions over and over again. As Tony wanders in and out of past memories and current dreams, these tales mirror the experiences he is living throughout the novel. Antonio does not follow a single path to understand his thoughts; Ultima guides him to help him understand life through stories he shares. Anaya tells stories of natural cycles instead of historical events. She also puts a major focus on dream imagery to allow the reader to analyze the novel as a more poetic style of writing. Readers only see the novel through Antonio’s eyes, but the author represents other characters’ views through dialogue and conversations with Antonio. This allows readers to come up with our own views on the religion and conflicts occurring. It also let’s readers know other views on the same topic, especially because the narrator is a story about an adolescent