Sunday, 9 February 2014

I have to choose 10 items which are symbolic and have a meaningful connection to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. I have to write a one page report...

There are many important objects in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.  There are so many objects that there is no need to look outside of the book itself.  Each object that I will list below can be found in the book.  You can choose ten among these to focus on for your report.

The wisteria vine:  A wisteria vine hangs on the Finch porch.  On a couple occasions, Atticus goes out on the porch and stares at the vine as he thinks deeply.  This repeated image of Atticus thinking while looking at the vine symbolizes his considerate nature.  He is a thoughtful person, and his wisdom often comes from careful consideration.


Scissors:  A pair of scissors symbolizes the rumors that are told around town about Boo.  It is rumored that he had stabbed his father in the leg with scissors.  Later, when the children act out the events in their Boo Radley game, they use the scissors to recreate the rumored scene.



Scout and Jem find many items from Boo Radley in the knothole of an old tree.


Sticks of gum:  Scout finds two sticks of gum wrapped in silvery foil in the knothole.  She chews the Wrigley's Double-Mint gum, but Jem makes her spit it out.  He thinks it could be poisoned.  This gum symbolizes their initial communication with Boo through gifts, as well as Jem's suspicion of him.  


Pennies:  Jem and Scout find two Indian-head pennies in the knothole.  The pennies are polished and shiny even though they are old.  They symbolize Boo's caring of the gifts he gives to the children.  It is evident that he had scrubbed the pennies to make them shine before giving them to Scout and Jem.  The gift of the pennies also symbolizes Boo's sacrifice for them because, as Jem states, the pennies "are real valuable to somebody."


Spelling medal:  One of the gifts in the knothole is an old spelling medal, which had once been won by Boo.  This medal symbolizes his humanity and the fact that he, too, had once been a child.  Atticus tells the children of a time when "the Maycomb County schools had spelling contests and awarded medals to the winners."


The soap figures:  Jem and Scout find a boy and a girl carved out of soap. The figures symbolize Boo's desire to befriend the children.


Miss Maudie's azaleas:  Miss Maudie loves her azaleas, but cares little for her house.  When her house burns down, she is not very upset.  She is optimistic because she will have more room to plant azaleas.  Her azaleas symbolize her nonmaterialistic, contented approach to life.


Jem's pants:  Jem's lost pants symbolize the children's risky curiosity with Boo and the Radley house.  The children sneak around the Radley house one night, and are frightened away.  Jem's pants get stuck on some barb wire and he leaves them behind.  Later, he makes a risky journey back to retrieve them.


The blanket:  When Miss Maudie's house burns down, Jem and Scout stay outside all night in the cold.  Scout realizes that a strange blanket is around her shoulders, and finds out that Boo had covered her.  This blanket symbolizes how much Boo cares about Scout and her wellbeing.


Mrs. Dubose's camellia bush:  Jem goes into a rage over a rude remark from Mrs. Dubose, and he hacks the tops off her camellia bush with Scout's baton.  Jem gets in trouble and has to read to Mrs. Dubose for a month.  When she dies, Mrs. Dubose leaves a box for Jem.  Inside, he finds that "surrounded by wads of damp cotton, [is] a white, waxy, perfect camellia."  He thinks that the woman left it to spite him.  Instead, Atticus explains to him that it symbolizes her forgiveness toward Jem for hacking away at her flowers.


The chiffarobe:  Mayella Ewell calls to Tom Robinson and asks that he chop up a chifforabe for firewood.  The chiffarobe comes up many times during the trial.  It symbolizes Mayella's desperation and the lies told throughout the trial.


Scout's ham costume:  This costume is made of cloth, paint, and chicken wire.  These materials are shaped like a ham, and Scout wears it for the school's pageant.  She is wearing the costume when Mr. Ewell attacks her and Jem and Boo Radley comes to the rescue.  This costume symbolizes Scout's helplessness during the attack and her dependence on Boo.

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