To Kill a Mockingbird Group

Question:

ber10303
ber10303
Student
High School - 10th Grade

Explain how and why Harper Lee puts one lonely mockingbird in Chapter 28. (Hint: It dosn't represent a person)

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Posted by ber10303 on Saturday April 11, 2009 at 3:26 PM and tagged with characters, details, harper lee, summary, symbols, themes, to kill a mockingbird.

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  1. ladyvols1 Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    On page 268, Lee writes:

    "High above us in the darkness a solitary mocker poured out his repertoire in blissful unawareness of whose tree he sat in, plunging from the shrill kee, kee of the sunflower bird to the irascible qua-ack of a bluejay, to the sad lament of Poor Will, Poor Will."

    In this first part of chapter 28, Ms. Lee is building the suspense of things to come.  Scout and Jem are walking by the Radley place and are discussing, ghosts, spirits and scary things.  Scout hears the lonely Mockingbird sing its song.  This scene continues to remind the reader of Lee's motif of innocence and the mockingbird.  We begin to realize that Scout still has a lesson to learn.  Later in the chapter Scout, Jem, and Boo Radley will all lose more of the innocence they have had up to this point in the novel.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/mockingbird/chapter-28-summary-anal...
    http://www.enotes.com/mockingbird/characters
    http://www.enotes.com/mockingbird/themes

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    Posted by ladyvols1 on Saturday April 11, 2009 at 5:47 PM