How Does Lee Use Foreshadowing In To Kill A Mockingbird

Introduction

"Black rage is founded on two-thirds a person / Ridings and beatings and suffering that worsens." These lines in Lauryn Hills' song "black rage" perfectly capture the struggle Tom Robinson had to endure throughout Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird." Harper Lee's classic novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird", set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, delves into the themes of racial injustice and moral growth in a small Alabama town. As the story unfolds, we follow six-year-old Scout Finch, daughter of the principled lawyer Atticus Finch, who risks everything to defend a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Through Lee's use of foreshadowing, symbolized by mockingbirds, snow, and fire, the novel offers an understanding

When Atticus Finch gives Scout and Jem air rifles, he advises Jem and Scout not to shoot mockingbirds because "it's a sin" (Lee 119). This recommendation is explained by Miss Maudie, who states, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy” (Lee 119 ). Here, the mockingbird symbolizes innocence, goodness, and harmony. Atticus's warning reflects the theme of damaging the innocent, which foreshadows the unfair treatment of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson testifies his innocence, explaining that he felt sorry for Mayella and tried to help her by doing odd jobs around her property. He states, "I never done nothin' to her, sir" (Lee 265). Furthermore, Link Deas, Tom's employer, testifies to Tom's good character and expresses his belief in Tom's innocence, saying, " “The boys worked for me eight years, and I had no speck o’ trouble outa him, not a speck." Lee

The fire at Miss Maudie's house is an essential event that occurs in chapter 8 when the smartest house burns down, the community comes together like a community, yet the destruction of the fire hints that something bad is coming. Scout narrates, "Miss Maudie's house was a blazing fire" (Lee 92). This event symbolizes the burning racial tensions and Maycomb that will erupt during Tom Robinson's trial. Just as the fire, consumes Miss Maudie's house, the trial swallows the town with racial tension and division like wildfire. During the trial, most types of racism, especially interpersonal racism, became increasingly evident, causing Atticus to say "This case is as simple as black and white" (Lee 224). The simplicity that Atticus refers to is overshadowed by the deep prejudice, that ultimately leads to Tom Robinson's conviction, despite the abundant evidence that he is innocent. The fire foreshadows the racial injustice and the consumption of the majority in Maycomb during the