Social Symbols In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mocking Bird
When living in a community as small and close-knit as Maycomb, it is inevitable that social class will play a large role in everyday life. Some key attributes that determine where the citizens of Maycomb stand on the social ladder are wealth, race, and character. Jem explains, “There’s four kinds of folks in this world. There 's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there 's the kind like the Cunningham’s out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes" (Lee 258). At the top of the ladder stands the Finch family. They represent the highest ranking of social status simply because Atticus is a respectable, white lawyer. He is a well-liked man who is not only a great lawyer for the

Harper Lee used the symbol of a mockingbird, and Rudolfo Anaya used the presence of the river. Although both symbols are similar in the way that they are both in nature, the meaning behind both is much deeper. Both the river and the mockingbird act as symbols for the loss of innocence that occurred in Antonio and Tom Roger’s lives. Antonio explains, “And now when I walked alone along the river I would always have to turn and glance over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of a shadow – Lupito’s soul, the presence of the river” (Anaya 28). The river begins to lose its innocence when it is stained with the blood of Lupito; similar to how Antonio is scarred with the memory of Lupito’s death. Also, Miss Maudie and Atticus explain, “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 103). The mockingbird portrays the innocence of a bird that causes no harm, only sings and that is why it is a sin to kill them. Tom Robinson is very similar because he is innocent and did not commit the crime and it is a sin to imprison him, yet the jury does anyway. The symbols both portray very similar