The Significance Of The Flowers In To Kill A Mockingbird

The flowers used throughout the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee are symbols for specific characters. Mrs. Dubose was mentioned with camellias, Miss Maudie with azaleas, and Mayella Ewell with geraniums. These flowers each represent a different meaning and are all associated with how the character that relates to the flora acts and their personality. Camellia flowers are deep-rooted and hard to kill, needing to be attacked in the roots to be damaged. Mrs. Dubose, a racist elderly woman addicted to morphine, had angered Jem because she had insulted and yelled slurs at him Atticus. In a fit of rage, Jem cut off all the tops of her camellia flowers. The symbolism is shown here because the flowers were not damaged by the roots, which failed to kill the plants. This is related to how racism needs to be attacked by the main contributing factors, otherwise, it will not be eradicated. In a way, the flowers not being dead after being cut off at the blossom represents how even though she died, racism was still an existing issue in Maycomb, and the death of one racist person does not result at the end of the problem. Mrs. Dubose was represented by the Camellia flowers because her racism only played a small part in society’s issues.

Miss Maudie is a nice family friend and neighbor of the Finch family, and she would treat Scout and Jem with respect. In addition to respecting Scout and Jem, Miss Maudie also esteemed people of color. The flower symbolism is represented in this because, despite the town’s common racist views towards black people, she still believed that they deserved to be treated like humans. Despite the outside conditions, she is tough and resilient toward common values. She blooms in the harsh expectations and norms of Maycomb, and Miss Maudie is a respectable person, hence why she is represented by the Azalea