How Does Miss Maudie Use Symbols In To Kill A Mockingbird

Words: 486
Pages: 2

Definition - A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract. Symbolism is a literary device that is commonly used in literature and can be taken by many different forms. It signifies ideas and qualities by using a symbolic meaning rather than the literal sense.
Example - In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, she uses various literary devices throughout her novel, including the usage of symbolism. The different symbols in the novel represented many aspects that were significant to the storyline and overall theme. One of the major symbols in the novel was the mockingbird. The title of the novel has a little amount of literal connection the plot, but it has a major significance which is why it is considered as a symbol. Miss Maudie gave Scout insight on mockingbirds by saying, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but
…show more content…
The purpose of symbolism is for readers to convey meaning and imagery when reading literature. The author uses symbolism due to it having the effect of making the reading more complex and helping the reader comprehend specific details and deeper meaning of a story. There are various ways symbols are presented to readers and are usually found to be objects, characters, figures, and colors. After Atticus didn’t want to teach his kids to shoot a rifle, he had told Jem “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit'em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (90). After Scout asked Miss Maudie, she had replied to Scout something similar to what her father had said to her before. The repetition of the mockingbird emphasizes the importance of it’s meaning and what it symbolizes in the society. Overall, symbolism is important because of the way readers can look into the different meanings of different objects, ideas, and