1. Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird
Minilesson

2. A symbol is something that represents a greater idea.
What are Symbols?
A symbol is something that represents a greater idea.

3. 1.) We use symbols to represent groups, ideas, emotions, people, and more! Discuss with your elbow partner- What do the symbols below mean? (1 min)

4. 2.) Colors often have symbolic meaning
“I feel pretty blue today.”
Other common symbolic meanings of colors:
White: good, innocence, purity, fresh starts
Black: evil, sadness, corruption, negativity
Red: love, courage, anger, pain
Blue: beauty, loyalty, depression
Purple: royalty, richness
Gold: wealth, power
Green: hope, growth, new life, envy
Yellow: happiness, light, brightness, positivity

5. 3.) nature/weather symbols
Night- death, evil
Reason: night is at the end of the day, similar to the way death is at the end of life; fear of darkness is similar to the fear evil (unknown)
Sunrise- new beginnings
Reason: sunrise occurs at the beginning of each day and offers a new start
Fire- cleansing, purification
Reason: fire burns everything away leaving room for a new start
Water- life, cleansing
Reason: water is necessary to live and is used to wash bad things
Stone- firmness, strength
Reason: stone is one of the strongest natural materials used to build
Light- knowledge, happiness, education
Seasons- the cycle of seasons can mimic the cycle of life. Which season symbolizes birth? ____________ Which season symbolizes death? ___________

6. Animals
Discuss with your elbow partner- what do you think these animals symbolize? Can you think of examples in movies, TV, literature?

7. 5.) Symbolism in Literature
In literature, authors use symbolism to add deeper meaning to a story.
Readers must make inferences and other connections to pick up on symbols.
Authors can use characters, objects, colors, and events to symbolize (or embody, emphasize) an important theme or idea.
Some symbols are well-known, others are invented and emphasized within a story.

8. 6.) Symbolism is used to… Provide meaning beyond the obvious
Emphasize key ideas or themes
A river can represent the flow of life…
… or its depth may represent the unknown…
… the water might symbolize purity…
… or there could be dangers beneath the surface.

9. Symbolism in Literature
Peter Pan-
Eternal childhood
The Lord of the Rings series- “One ring to rule them all…” The ring is a symbol of power.
“The Raven” has a dark, sinister bird watching over the main character like an ominous shadow. Why do you think Poe chose a black raven to symbolize loss instead of a bright yellow toucan?

10. Major symbols in TKAM Mockingbird Mad Dog- Tim Johnson
Boo Radley
Tom Robinson
Mad Dog- Tim Johnson
Tree Knothole/Cement
Atticus

11. 1. Mockingbirds
MAJOR QUOTE: "Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." …"Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.“ (Ch. 10) EXPLANATION: Mockingbirds are gentle creatures that do no harm, so to kill one would be needlessly violent.

12. 1. Mockingbirds
MEANING OF SYMBOL: The mockingbird symbolizes innocence(the quality of being pure, good). Therefore, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. In the novel, we see innocence destroyed by evil in the form of racism and prejudice. CHARACTER/SYMBOL NAME CONNECTION: Bird imagery in character names- Finch, Robinson. Birds often represent freedom, flight

13. 2. Mockingbird- Boo Radley
MAJOR QUOTE: “To my way of thinkin, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service (great service- Boo has saved Jem and Scout from Mr. Ewell) an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight- to me, that’s a sin.”… “Mr. Tate was right… Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Ch. 30) EXPLANATION: At the end of the novel, we see that Boo is actually very kind, shy, and perhaps sickly or mentally impaired. Boo gave gifts to the children and saved their lives. If Boo’s heroic deed was made public, he would suffer from the attention of the townspeople.

14. 2. Mockingbird- Boo Radley
MEANING OF SYMBOL: Boo is considered a mockingbird- his character symbolizes innocence. Boo is a victim of the prejudice of the townspeople. Boo’s innocence is protected by Mr. Tate’s decision to lie about Boo’s involvement in Mr. Ewell’s death.
CHARACTER/SYMBOL NAME: Discuss with your group- how does the name “Boo” compare or contrast with the character?
Think- When you hear the word “boo!”, what thoughts, images, ideas immediately come to your mind?
How do those immediate thoughts relate to the character of Boo?
How do those thoughts relate to what Boo symbolizes?

15. 3. Mockingbird- Tom Robinson
MAJOR QUOTE(S): -after Tom Robinson is shot, Mr. Underwood “likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children…”(Ch. 25) -Tom did chores for Mayella to help out, felt sorry for her (Ch. 19) -Tom’s respectful demeanor to everyone throughout the trial. (Ch. 19) EXPLANATION: Discuss the quotes with your group and explain why these quotes make Tom a symbol for innocence (mockingbird) in 1-2 sentences per quote. Why is Tom an “innocent”? How do you know? (evidence from story- try to think of at least 2 ways that Tom shows that he is an “innocent,” meaning pure or good)

16. 3. Mockingbird- Tom Robinson
MEANING OF SYMBOL: Tom Robinson is considered a mockingbird- he symbolizes innocence. Tom’s innocence is literally killed by the evils of racism and prejudice.
CHARACTER/SYMBOL NAME: Bird imagery in character name Robinson; allusion to the main character in the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel that caused great controversy right before the Civil War.

17. 4. Atticus
MAJOR QUOTE(S): With your group, find, discuss and write down 2 quotes from the novel that support the concepts that Atticus symbolizes. (Indirect characterization! Make inferences!) Paraphrase or shorten. HINT: look in chapters in which Atticus explains or shows Scout about morality, equality, justice. (trial -Ch. 20, Mrs. Dubose -Ch. 11, explaining to Scout- many Chs. ) EXPLANATION: Throughout the novel, Atticus tries to teach Scout and Jem to appreciate good qualities and understand bad qualities by treating others with sympathy and seeing life from their perspective. In all situations, Atticus is honest, well-spoken, fair, and respectful. By the end of the novel, we see that Scout has learned to navigate good and evil (morality) without losing her innocence because of Atticus’s parenting; the length of the jury’s deliberation shows that Atticus is also causing the entire town to contemplate racism and prejudice.

18. 4. Atticus
MEANING OF SYMBOL: Atticus symbolizes morality (beliefs between right and wrong; goodness), reason, justice, and education/knowledge. CHARACTER/SYMBOL NAME: deviation of the name of Roman philosopher who was known for being impartial in arguments. The name Atticus means grandeur, classical virtues. We see the importance of this character’s name because his own children call him by his first name. FOIL for Atticus (character that reflects the opposite)- Mr. Ewell

19. 5. Mad dog- Tim Johnson
MAJOR QUOTE(S): With your group, find, discuss and write down 2 quotes from the novel that support the concepts that Tim Johnson symbolizes. (Indirect characterization! Make inferences!) Paraphrase or shorten. -Ch. 10 EXPLANATION: With your group, discuss and write down a 1-2 sentence explanation for each quote. Explain why the quote shows that Tim symbolizes the madness and evil of Maycomb’s racial prejudices.

20. 5. Mad Dog- Tim Johnson
MEANING OF SYMBOL: The dog symbolizes the madness and evil of Maycomb’s racial prejudices.
Foreshadowing-In the situation with the dog and in the trial, Atticus is the hero and the only character who can use natural gifts (marksmanship, morality and justice) to bring peace to the town.
CHARACTER/SYMBOL NAME: By giving the dog a human first and last name, it is easier to parallel the behaviors between the dog and townspeople (diseased minds, crazy behavior, deadly intent). Readers can see that Tim Johnson is just as dangerous as Bob Ewell.

21. Tim Johnson- foreshadowing
When the jury returns, Scout knows they will return a guilty verdict before the decision is read: “I saw something only a lawyer's child could be expected to see, could be expected to watch for, and it was like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing that the gun was empty. A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson (ch 21).

22. 6. Tree Knothole/cement
MAJOR QUOTE(S):With your group, find, discuss and write down 2 quotes from the novel that support the concepts that the knothole symbolizes. (Indirect characterization! Make inferences!) Paraphrase or shorten. -Ch. 7 EXPLANATION: With your group, discuss and write down a 1-2 sentence explanation for each quote. MEANING OF SYMBOL: The knothole symbolizes a source of communication. When it is filled in with cement, it symbolizes __(Discuss with your group and fill in answer) _ CHARACTER/SYMBOL NAME: N/A