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How Does Lee Use Foreshadowing Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

1373 Words6 Pages

Estella Schuetz
Vande Guchte
Honors English 10B
May 16, 2023
Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird What was it like for you to grow up and lose your innocence? For Harper Lee, she has chosen to describe her experience to the world. Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill A Mockingbird has received much praise (and controversy) for its portrayals of racism, childhood, and growing up in the 1930s. The story, which is loosely based on Lee's childhood, takes place in a fictional county in Alabama named Maycomb. It is narrated by a woman named Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. She recalls everything that led up to her brother Jem breaking his arm when he was thirteen and she was nine. It follows a young Scout and her older brother Jem, the children of a lawyer …show more content…

Lee is no stranger to using foreshadowing, as in her novel To Kill A Mockingbird, she uses the death of a mad dog, …show more content…

Atticus is described as being different from the other fathers in Maycomb. He is considered different because he didn't have kids until later in life, he didn't work a special job, and he didn't want his children to use guns for the wrong purposes. When speaking to Jem about the latter, Atticus famously states, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (Lee 119). When put into the context of the mockingbird as a symbol of innocence, the phrase "to kill a mockingbird" can stand for "to kill one's innocence." This loss of innocence can be seen later on in the story, after the verdict of Tom Robinson's trial. Tom's description of what he saw at the scene, as well as his crippled left hand (which could not have inflicted damage to Mayella's right eye or the strangle marks on her neck) both point to his innocence. However, the jury thinks otherwise, and Tom is declared guilty. Despite being told not to, Scout and Jem had gone to the trial with Jem anyway. Witnessing the outcome, Jem becomes upset. As they go home with Atticus, Scout narrates, "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. "It ain't right,... "It ain't right, Atticus," said Jem." (Lee 284). Jem's realization that the outcome of the trial

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Jem was positive they would say yes, “Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard. ”(p.238 Harper Lee) but him being wrong haunts him for a while as he needs time to think it off. Jem learns to look at the world in a different way instead of through a child's eyes as Atticus tells him “There’s a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep ‘em all away from you.

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The Mad Dog and Tom are held to the same level and both have their respective inevitable fates because of the illness of racism throughout Maycomb County. In To Kill a Mockingbird, The Rabid Mad Dog foreshadows Tom Robinson being shot and killed. Next, the White Camellia Flower is the second symbol Lee uses to foreshadow Jem’s newfound maturity and understanding. The flower makes an entrance to the book in chapter 11 when Jem gets angry at Miss Dubose who is the angry old woman neighbor that always insults Jem and Scout, she makes comments about Atticus defending Tom Robinson in court. Jem takes Scout’s new baton and destroys every one of her White Camellia Flower bushes, for this she makes him come to her house every day for a month and read stories to her.

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Foreshadowing is when you use events, people, or irregular changes to hint that something big is happening. In her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee notably uses the symbolism of Mad dog, Snow, and the White Camellia flower to foreshadow events to transpire later in the novel. To begin, Lee uses Mad Dog to foreshadow the death of Tom Robinson and the way he died.

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This became a big deal in town and Jem and Scout were being bullied by their dad defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson had to testify against Bob Ewell and Mayella Ewell in the case. Scout narrates, “He was pounding the balcony rail softly, and once he whispered, ‘We’ve got him.’ (Lee 178). This shows that Jem is confident that Atticus is going to with the case because Bob Ewell had to show that he could write and he wrote with his left hand and Mayella Ewell was beaten up on the right side of her body, which means someone who leads

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Much later, the trial takes place and the three kids watch from the balcony as it unfolds. Scout narrates, “I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a stab between them.” (Lee 240) Jem was crushed by this and he as well as scout both realized later that the true monsters in life are men. Following the trial, Jem continuously tried to understand how the jury could make and stick by such a poor decision.

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In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee masterfully uses the symbolic significance of a fire, a mad dog, and the snowman to foreshadow events that occur later in the novel. To begin, Lee uses a fire to foreshadow Bob Ewell’s attempts to kill Scout and Jem. Before the trial where Atticus Finch tried to defend Tom Robinson from false accusations of rape, a fire burned down Ms. Maudie’s house, Ms. Maudie is one of the Finch’s neighbors but instead of being like most of the other neighbors she is quite a bit less racist than the rest of them and takes the side of Atticus with the court case, and she was left with almost nothing. Scout and Jem were outside watching as Ms. Maudie’s house burned down and Scout narrates, “Smoke was rolling off our house and Miss Rachel’s house like fog off a riverbank, and men were pulling hoses toward them” (Lee 93). The fire was very close to spreading all over the neighborhood and the Finch’s house even started smoking and catching on fire a little bit.

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Not an old Uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards.”(Lee 272). Therefore, Atticus proves to the court with the evidence that Tom was not Guilty and Mayella Ewell tried to kiss Tom, and when Bob Ewell saw this he beat her and blamed it on Tom Robinson. “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levellers, and in our courts all men are created equal” (Lee 273-274). Instead the court does not want people to hate them so they say that Tom was guilty.

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1483 Words | 6 Pages

Harper Lee masterfully articulates symbols to not only convey her message, but also to foreshadow the entire plot. In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee molds the symbols of the Snow, the Mad Dog, and the Mockingbird to foreshadow specific events. To begin, Harper Lee uses the Snow to foreshadow that a large change is coming, such as the trial. To fully understand the trial, one must understand what leads up to the trial. The trial begins when Atticus decides to defend a black man, Tom Robinson.

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As the story continues, the Tom Robinson trial ends, and leaves Jem and Scout with a lot to consider. One night in their room, Jem speaks to Scout about his thoughts on racism and equality. Jem explains, “That’s what I thought,

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His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd” (Lee 212). Everyone else knows that this was not a fair trial but Jem is the only one emotionally affected person in the room. Jem is a very emotional person, but he is also a child who has not seen the worst of the world. He also becomes sensitive when Mrs. Dubose is bad-talking Atticus and the whole Finch family. He responds in a rude way, by talking back because he took it personally.

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A Loss of Innocence And A Gain of Maturity Have you ever experienced something that you still think about today? Or have you experienced something that you wish never would have happened? Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird Scout and Jem face many of these things, and at a young age too. During the story and the situations they find themselves in, a loss of innocence is evident.

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Jem starts to mature the most after the case. His [Jem’s] face was streaked with angry tears as we make our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain't’ right," he muttered all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting… “It ain’t right, Atticus,” said Jem. No son, it’s not right.” We walked home.

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“It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain't right,” he muttered…” (Lee 242) This shows that Jem is finally of the age where he can make good judgments and even his own decisions.

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After hours of waiting, the jury came back in. Scout explains how “A jury never looks at the defendant if it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson… Judge Taylor was polling the jury; ‘ Guilty...Guilty...Guilty’”(211) When Scout and Jem hear the verdict, they are distraught. As they were walking home, “It was Jem’s turn to cry.. ‘It’s not right, Atticus’”(212)

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In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee many characters are victims of the harsh conditions of Maycomb County. Often those who are seen to be metaphorical mockingbirds are punished the most. A mockingbird is one who only wants and attempts to do good. Characters such as Boo Radley, Jem Finch and Tom Robinson are exemplars of mockingbirds in Maycomb. In the novel it is explained by Atticus that killing a mockingbird is a sin because they do not do anything to harm to us like nesting in corncribs, or eating up the gardens, they only sing for us.

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