Narrative Structure
Point of View
Symbolism
To Kill a Mockingbird
POINT OF
VIEW
Looking at Point of View
We will examine point of view, keeping in
mind the following three premises:
1: WHAT IS THE POINT OF VIEW OF THIS
NOVEL?
2: WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THE WAY
IT IS USED?
3: WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF USING THIS
TECHNIQUE?
What is Point of View?
Point of view is the term used for who tells
the story
This novel is told in the FIRST PERSON point
of view - this means that the personal
pronouns “I”, “we”, “us” etc are used.
Furthermore, the narrative point of view can
be said to be FIRST PERSON CENTRAL because
the narrator is also the main character of the
text, one who can report on the action of the
novel.
Significance of Point of View
The POV is autobiographical - Scout is narrator telling
the story from two perspectives: child and adult
narrator
Child’s POV - mostly the narration is from a naive
child’s POV reporting much more than she
understands. This is important because she is advanced
for her age and is sensitive to most aspects of life but
at the same time she is too young to truly understand
and appreciate how complex the adult world truly is.
Many of the things she reports have meaning for the
reader even though she does not understand them
herself.
Advantages of POV
The trial and conviction of Tom Robinson have
added incongruity because it is presented through
the eyes of a young girl. She gives no social
criticism other than through the questions she
asks Atticus and Jem.
Because she is a child, her sense of right and
wrong is not tainted by social prejudice. This adds
irony to the reporting of the trial - we see the
terrible injustice being done to Tom told through
the simple and naive terminology / language of a
child.
Advantages of POV
Because of the child’s perspective, deeper
analysis of the idea of rape and racial
prejudice are ignored - effectively stripping
back the layers and revealing the real
horror - the simple injustice of a man being
wrongly convicted - which only Scout can
see clearly.
Advantage / Disadvantages
The trial and conviction of Tom Robinson have
added incongruity because it is presented through
the eyes of a young girl. She gives no social
criticism other than through the questions she
asks Atticus and Jem.
Because she is a child, her sense of right and
wrong is not tainted by social prejudice. This adds
irony to the reporting of the trial - we see the
terrible injustice being done to Tom told through
the simple and naive terminology / language of a
child.
Advantage / Disadvantages
Having Scout as narrator means that she must be
present when important parts of the action occurs
- which can be difficult to achieve when the
narrator is a child.
Eg: Scout has to go with Jem otherwise we
wouldn’t know what happens in Mrs. Dubose’s
house, or,
Scout has to be removed from the trial somehow
as the jury deliberates, otherwise we would have
to sit through hours of boring narrative
NARRATIVE
STRUCTURE
Parallel Structure
Originally, Harper Lee wrote the novel as a
collection of short stories and sometimes it does
seem like a collection of episodes which are strung
together. Some chapters and parts of the text
can be read as individual stories, without knowing
anything about the rest of the novel (e.g. the Mad
Dog scene or Mrs. Dubose)
However - the stories of Tom Robinson and Boo
Radley are parallel to one another - linked by
motifs, symbols, setting and character.
Novel in two parts
Part One - focuses on building up the habits,
traditions, outlook, characters, prejudices and
social stratas of the people of Maycomb - but
doing so in a gentle way. Jem and Scout (with Dill)
indulge in games of fantasy.
Many parts of the novel which seem amusing and
childish are actually foreshadowing for the future
- for example, meeting and learning about the
characters of Walter Cunningham and the Ewell
boys prepares us to meet the grown up versions
later.
Part Two
Part Two concentrates on ripping away the sweet
facade of part one - Maycomb and its inhabitants
are exposed for their true selves; a town filled
with social prejudice and ignorance.
We see characters in this second half become
flawed and weakened exemplifying the point that
nobody is completely good or evil - Mrs. Dubose
shows the racist attitudes prevalent in town, Miss
Rachel and also the women’s circle show ignorance,
Jem becomes sulky and moody, and even Atticus
himself is shown to be ‘old and feeble’.
SYMBOLS
The Mockingbird
The mockingbird represents innocence and the
hurting/hunting of that innocence by the
clumsiness or prejudice of others:
Like children and hunters kill mockingbirds for
sport - people kill innocence and the innocent
without thinking.
Both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley can be seen as
the mockingbird of the title - both innocent and
killed (either figuratively or literally) by prejudice.
The Mockingbird
The mockingbird symbol is mentioned five times
(including the title):
1: When Atticus gives Scout and Jem airguns for
Christmas he warns them not to kill mockingbirds
2: When BB Underwood writes about Tom Robinson’s
death in the newspaper
3: a mockingbird sings just prior to Bob Ewell attacking
Scout and Jem
4: Scout agrees with Heck Tate that telling people that
Boo rescued them from Ewell would be like ‘killing a
mockingbird’
Boo Radley
Boo is a symbol of fear for the people of Maycomb.
He represents the necessity of adhering to social
rules and norms (like Dolphus Raymond also)
otherwise you will be ostracised - thought of as a
monster.
This kind of thinking keeps people from standing up
for what they believe in. Atticus doesn’t view Boo as
a monster which aligns with his unprejudiced view
point.
Until the people of Maycomb can understand Boo
they will be forever stuck in a world of fear and lies.
Tom Robinson
With a crippled arm, Tom represents the
powerlessness of the black community. His
injury is more than just disfigurement. (Tom’s
crippled arm is paralled in Jem’s crippled
arm)
It is not just Tom on trial, but the entire
system of injustice which exists in Maycomb
(and the South of America).
Guns
Are representative of false strength. Atticus
shows that guns don’t equate to manhood or
bravery - these qualities come from a
person’s heart.
Mr. Radley uses a gun on the ‘black in the
collard patch’ - this is to show that guns
stunt his own personal growth.
Think of other occasions where guns were
used.
The Mad Dog
The mad dog is a symbol for racism. When
the dog appears, the white people are all
confined to their homes.
Only Atticus can face the mad dog - he is
relied upon by everyone to shoot it (even the
sheriff) as he tries to do by representing
Tom Robinson.
This mad dog imagery is repeated at the
trial but this time it states they send him
out without any ammunition.
The Red Geraniums
Mayella’s geraniums are symbolic of Mayella
trying to escape her white trash home.
They are the only beautiful thing in a broken
down, junk filled back yard.
They are Mayella’s symbol of hope.
Mrs. Dubose’s white camelias
White is traditionally a symbol of purity and
innocence.
In this case they can be seen as a symbol of racism
- they are Mrs. Dubose’s pride and joy. They are
hard to destroy - Mrs. Dubose takes great pleasure
in telling Jem that this is the case “next time, you’ll
pull it up by the roots, won’t you?”