How To Kill A Mockingbird Symbolism

In cultures and literary works, symbolism is the usage of images and expressions that reveal the author’s ideas and deeper meanings in a hidden manner. While all works of literature do not utilize symbolism, many authors link symbols with events, settings, or characters in order to develop a more powerful understanding behind the characters of a story. After reading successful literary works, the symbolic meaning of the work remains with the reader. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee achieves success by creating the characters Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch as symbols to coalesce the themes of morality, ethics, and morality in her famous Pulitzer Prize winning book.

First, Lee utilizes Tom Robinson as a character that symbolizes morality in the story of To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson was a black man living in a white community. At that time, being the minority race in the town of Maycomb was a dangerous

Lastly, Atticus Finch, possibly the most important symbolic character, represents justice throughout the whole novel. Atticus practices and teaches his children to be morally correct and to do what is right. Going against what the majority of the residents, Atticus hopes for justice and tries to do what seems impossible in Maycomb—prove a black man innocent based solely on the word of a white family. Although the case doesn’t conclude in Tom’s favor and Atticus doesn’t get the just verdict he wanted, Robinson is eventually avenged by another mistreated member of Maycomb—Boo Radley. Atticus proves himself a good lawyer, however, justice is not served until Boo Radley finally kills demented Bob Ewell. In the end, Atticus decides that that in order to have justice for both Boo and Tom, he and Sheriff Tate must look the other way and protect Boo from further scrutiny. When Atticus states, "The one thing that doesn 't abide by majority rule is a person 's conscience” (111), he unknowingly predicts the a situation in which he finds