My English Essay # 2 ( Craft)

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Here is another Essay, on the same book ( To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ). This time, it focuses on the craft and symbolism used by Lee to enhance the book! :D

Often, we confuse the outer characteristics of a person with the inner truth that lies in them. We tend to overlook their good qualities and willingness to help our society just because of our false perception. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the Mockingbird as a physical representation of innocence, beauty and freedom to explore the theme of injustice towards the innocent well wishers of our society. 

Throughout the book, even of not explicitly mentioned, the Mockingbird carries a very deep significance. It is the means through which the reader can fully understand the author, and what she is trying to tell us. The Mockingbirds in the book are not birds, but actual characters who symbolise the different people in our community, who have not been treated the way they deserve to be treated. By creating characters to quote the mockingbird, Lee uses the crafting method of dialogues to get her message across to us. It is those characters who have done so much good for the county, but have received only isolation and despise in return for their deeds. These include Jem, Dill, Boo Radley, Tom Robinson and Mr Raymond. When we connect with those characters, questions come to us. What did Boo Radley ever do other than help the society? Why are the fair skinned being believed, while it is actually Tom who is innocent? 

At the beginning of the book, Lee does not focus on the symbol itself, but instead on what makes a Mockingbird so respected. When Scout and Jem are learning about rifles, Atticus said he would rather shoot tin cans than a bird, which rouses queries in the two children. That is when Lee uses the attributes of Atticus to convey the famous quote- “ It is a sin to kill a mockingbird”. She tells us quite directly about the theme that the whole book revolves around. It’s deeper meaning is so much more profound than it’s literal meaning, which allows us to stop and consider the fact that killing a mockingbird is destroying innocence. This brings up the 2 main Mockingbirds- Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Tom is a black man with noble intentions. People in Maycomb do not understand that race and colour do not make humans different, and they shunned all the ‘Negroes’ of their society. Despite that, Tom was always ready to help when required. During the trial, he was accused of being guilty only because of his race, which killed the innocence inside him. Eventually he knew that his efforts would go in vain. But he tried to escape, only to get shot 17 times. He is a Mockingbird, as all he ever did was help a girl who betrayed him. Lee developed Boo’s character through the entire first half of the book to trigger thoughts in the reader’s minds. But towards the end of the book, Boo is shown to be the one who helped out in most of the dire situations, and also the one who sent gifts to Jem and Scout. It is the society that spread the word that he was bad, and not to be trusted- thus he is the second mockingbird. 

Mockingbirds are known to repeat whatever they hear , just like children follow the behaviour displayed in their society. Mentors are what shape a child, but if those mentors give them the wrong ideals, the child will grow older to become a person with bad qualities. Children obviously can’t choose a mentor when they are as Scout, so they listen and repeat what everyone says to them. Miss Maudie tells Scout-“Your father’s right. Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us.” Scout is not really a Mockingbird in the context, the only thing that separates her is maturity. What Ms Maudie told Scout is a metaphorical way of describing our society now. Scout didn’t know the deeper meaning of it, but could grasp the central moral. One time, she asks Atticus about Boo- "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?”. She knew what Ms Maudie meant, but didn’t know how to apply it. 

Another way to look at the Mockingbird’s significance in the book is to relate it to Jem and Dill. When we think of innocence, we think of children. But as the book progresses, the same cannot be said for Jem and Dill, two young boys who have seen too much of the world, too fast. After the court scene, when Tom is accused of being guilty, Jem realises that “it ain’t right” to arrive at such a conclusion regarding Tom. All his trust in people and his ability to look at the positive sides of a situation were destroyed after the trial, and that is when a Mockingbird was killed. Similarly, Dill was shattered after what he saw at the trial. He explains his grief to a still curious Scout, when he says “I don’t care one speck! Somehow, it ain’t right to do ‘em that way.”. It shows us that he now knows who is actually right, and whom to trust. The last Mockingbird- Mr Raymond, is a queer character. The community believes that he is way too close to the blacks to be part of them, and also that the little pouch he carries with him is full of wine. When Dill has a conversation with him, he finds out that Mr Raymond had been carrying nothing but a pouch of Coca Cola, which was his way of separating himself from the discriminating world. He too was a victim of lost freedom, and his innocence had been torn apart from him for a long time. 

Symbols are what make a piece of writing effective. A great writer is one who can use a symbol so well that the message gets through very subtly, maintaining both the pace and fun of the book, and the depth of the theme of the book. Lee has done that brilliantly, and the fundamental message has come across to the reader. Using the Mockingbird as the main symbol helped Lee instil the underlying qualities of kindness and purity throughout the book.


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Just saying, the next 7 posts won't be as boring! So stay tuned...