Snow Symbolism in to Kill a Mockingbird

Table of Contents

• The Innocence of Snow
• The Harsh Realities of Racism
• The Snowman and Racism
• Conclusion
• Bibliography

Snow pops up a lot in Harper Lee's famous book, "To Kill A Mockingbird." When it shows up, it usually means something about innocence, purity, or the tough stuff like prejudice and racism. This essay dives into what snow means in the story. We'll look at different scenes and see how it ties to the characters and their lives. By checking out these snowy bits, we can get what's really going on with the book's themes and what Lee was trying to say.

'Snow Symbolism in To Kill A Mockingbird'

The Innocence of Snow

First off, there's a scene where Scout builds a snowman with Jem and Miss Maudie. This snowman isn't your everyday snowman: "Miss Maudie's sunhat balanced precariously on its frozen head and an enormous grin on its face" (Lee, 74). The snowman is all about childhood fun and playfulness. It's here one moment and gone the next, kinda like being a kid. That big grin? It screams happiness—totally opposite from the racial tension that's hanging over Maycomb.

This snowman also shows Scout's pure way of seeing things. She's young, hasn't been messed up by adult prejudices yet. The snowman gives her—and us—a break from all that heavy racism stuff and reminds us kids have this kind of untouched innocence.

The Harsh Realities of Racism

So while snow first looks innocent, it gets kinda dark later. There's a scene where Atticus has to shoot this mad dog that's making trouble in the neighborhood. Scout talks about how "The snow-covered ground was torn up by the dog's struggles; he was still alive but in great pain" (Lee, 96). Here, the snowy ground is like a cover-up for all the racism and prejudice hiding under Maycomb’s surface.

That dog's suffering? It's like what African Americans go through in this split-up society. Just like snow hides the dog's pain, Maycomb's norms hide all that suffering and unfairness black folks face there. So yeah, even if Maycomb seems all nice at first glance, it's got inequality built right into it.

The Snowman and Racism

Another big moment with snow comes when Jem makes another snowman looking like Mr. Avery—who's got some pretty racist views. This one's got "a jagged nose [. . .] and eyes made of pebbles" (Lee, 84). That’s not just art; it's pointing out how ugly racism really is.

Jem building that snowman? It's his way of saying he's ticked off about all the racism around them in Maycomb. The jagged features show how dehumanizing this whole race thing gets. This snowman becomes a stand-in for all that nasty racism baked into their town.

Conclusion

"To Kill A Mockingbird" uses snow as more than just weather—it's deep symbolism throughout the book. It stands for both innocence and how harsh racism can be. The first snowman made by Scout and Jem? That's childhood joy wrapped up in temporary innocence. But as we keep reading, that same snow starts showing us darker meanings—especially about the pain African Americans deal with every day in this divided world.

The second snowman looking like Mr. Avery? Pure ugliness tied to racism right there. Seeing these different snowy moments helps us understand what Harper Lee is really talking about: those themes she wants us to think about long after we put down her book.

The way "To Kill A Mockingbird" uses snow gives depth to everything happening inside its pages—it makes readers ponder about prejudice complexities more deeply too! All said and done, it serves as an ever-present reminder—to keep believing in innocence but also facing off against tough realities if we wanna make our society better!

Bibliography

• Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. HarperCollins Publishers, 1960.
• Brewton-Parker College Library Resources Guide - To Kill a Mockingbird: Symbolism.
• SparkNotes Editors (2021). Symbols - To Kill A Mockingbird Themes.
• PBS Learning Media: Analyzing Theme & Symbolism in Literature Series Overview (2019).