To Kill A Mockingbird Symbols

The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is chalk-full of symbols. A symbol is when an object represents another to give a deeper meaning. From instances like Scout finding the roly poly bug to Atticus shooting the mad dog each symbol means a different thing or describes a different character in the book. Some symbols may be hard to find but there are always hidden symbols relating to the characters. For example, a small detail readers might have looked over like the red geraniums in the Ewell’s backyard actually symbolize Mayella and her home life. The main symbol of the book is right in the title, a mockingbird. Mockingbirds are innocent, caring, kind, fragile, and almost childlike. They never do any harm and only sing songs up in the …show more content…
He is innocent by not leaving his house for years and therefore not knowing all the negativity and problems that goes on within the town and how much the people of the town have changed. By saving the children in the end and joining the outside world once again the innocence Boo had being locked in the house is gone. He is caring like a mockingbird by giving Scout and Jem presents like dolls and gum through a hole in a tree the kids pass everyday. Boo is so afraid of the outside that leaving the presents is a much different experience for him hence why he does it anonymously. He is caring the way a mockingbird is by saving Jem and Scout’s life and bringing them home after they were attacked by Bob Ewell. When Bob Ewell tries to murder Jem and Scout, a mysterious man comes out of nowhere and stops Bob from hurting the kids further. The man then picks up Jem and carries him straight home to get help. The mysterious man turns out to be Boo himself. We see his character for the very first time in the whole story because he was in fact looking out for the children when they needed help. “It was slowly coming to me now that there were four people under the tree” explains how Scout realized they weren't alone in the fight against Bob and how someone else was saving them. Boo cared for the kids so much he risked his reputation again for …show more content…
He is kind like a mockingbird by taking the Tom Robinson case and comforting Tom’s family after his death even when the town greatly disapproves. He is one of the only lawyers who genuinely believes that Tom Robinson is not guilty and will not let the case go unnoticed. He steps forward and takes the case no matter what type of public backlash he will receive. Atticus was always a gentleman to Tom and his family and showed them a lot of respect, no matter what their social class or skin color was. He is caring by staying outside of the jail cell and stopping the angry drunken mob from ambushing Tom in the middle of the night. When he hears of what the group of men are planning to do he gets in his car and goes down to the jail immediately. He then shows a great act of bravery by standing up to and stopping the crowd in Tom’s honor. Atticus is also every caring after the situation with Bob Ewell where he stays awake in Jem’s room for the entire night because he wants to ensure nothing bad happens to the boy and is still there in the morning when Jem wakes up. He also makes sure the man who saved Jem’s life in the first place, Boo Radley, is well protected from the police who may try to accuse him by saving Boo from a murder charge that is not needed with his current reputation. Atticus is characterized with very similar traits to the mockingbird and shows great