Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, wrote the book in 1960’s while the events in the book take place in the early 1930’s. During the 1930’s, the Great Depression just hit the United States, the unemployment rate grew and many families lived in poverty. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes the childhood of Scout, also known as Jean Louise Finch, and her older brother Jem which is short for Jeremy Atticus Finch. The Finches were fairly wealthy compared to the rest of the residents of Maycomb County, Alabama, which is due to Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus Finch, being a lawyer. Throughout the beginning of the novel, Harper Lee uses symbols to foreshadow the loss of innocence leading up to Atticus’ big trial with Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell. In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee foreshadows a loss of innocence through the symbolic significance of the snowman, mad dog,

Atticus shoots the dog in one shot, which foreshadows the death of racism. Tom Robinson’s trial is almost complete, but Atticus still has to give a final statement to defend Tom. Atticus hopes to sway the jury in favor of voting not guilty by heavily defending Tom with hard evidence. Atticus states, “It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is.” (271). This quote shows Atticus defending Tom Robinson because he feels it is the right thing to do. Entering the trial, Atticus knew that it wasn’t possible to win with an all-white male, racist jury. Yet, he still chose to defend Tom till the very end. Atticus overcame the typical southern male stereotype of being racist, putting an end to the racist stereotype, and therefore a death to racism. The mad dog’s death representing a death to racism shows a loss of