To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Harper Lee’s Book To Kill a Mockingbird has had a lot of controversies over the years. This is because of the many different themes it covers in the book. The novel is narrated by a little girl named Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout. Scout is driven, mature, and wise for her age. There is a lot of changes that happen throughout the book for the community and also the children in the book because of what their father is doing. The story follows Scout as she grows up during the great depression while her father, Atticus, who's a lawyer defends a black man named Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused by Mayella Ewell of rape. This comes with a lot of racism and Mayella is white. Harper Lee uses the symbolism …show more content…
The snow in the story stands for the whites overpowering the blacks. The snow covers dirt and the dirt stands for poverty/the black community. Where snow stands for the white community. Atticus says, “I quote- ‘As it has not snowed in Maycomb County since 1885…”(Lee 73). This quote shows that the snow has not come for a long time. Meaning, the white power has not been very overpowering the black community and that means that they were equal for a while. Also the racism is overpowering the entire community. As the story continues, the kids decide to go and play in the snow. Scout describes, “I stuck out my tongue and caught a fat flake; It burned”(Lee 74). This quote shows that Scout is getting hurt by the snow. She is now seeing the racism that is around her because she is finally old enough to understand the racism that is around her. This proves my thesis because the snow shows that the whites are overpowering the blacks. The races are not equal, so it shows the racism in Southern Alabama during the Great …show more content…
The fire symbolizes the destruction of the foundation of the community. During the winter, there is a fire at Miss Maudie’s house. Scout describes, “The Abbottsville fire truck began pumping water on our house… I watched our Absolute Morphodite go black and crumble”(Lee 80). This quote shows that Scout is watching the fire spread to her house and the other houses around them. This shows that racism can spread through a community just like a fire can spread to many different houses in a short period of time. As the story goes on, the Finch children continue to stand by the side of the road watching Miss Maudie’s house burn. Scout describes, “Roaring, the house collapsed; fire gushed everywhere”(Lee 80). This quote shows that the fire made the house collapse. The house, that is very sturdy, got demolished by the fire. The foundation gave out. This proves my thesis because racism can destroy the foundation of the community just like how a fire can destroy the foundation of a house. Racism divided the community and destroyed the community because of the