In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does the tree house symbolize?

At the end of chapter three, Atticus reads to the children from the newspaper. One article is about a man who sat up on the top of a flagpole for no reason, so Jem gets it into his head to do the same. Jem spends his whole Saturday up in his treehouse just like the man in the newspaper article. Jem has Scout run errands for him as he is in the treehouse from sunrise to sunset so he doesn't starve or get bored. This is somewhat akin to what Boo Radley does as well. He stays in the house all day long, and as the rumors go, he goes out at night. Boo has had someone in his life to run errands for him, just like Scout does for Jem. The difference is that Jem tries this one Saturday, but Boo Radley does it his whole adult life.

Whether Jem stays in the treehouse to mimic the man on the flagpole, to get an idea of what it is like to be Boo Radley, or both, a symbolic connection can be drawn between the treehouse and the Radley house. The scene can also be considered a foreshadowing because it is Jem who later tells Scout that the reason Boo Radley doesn't come out of his house is simply because he doesn't want to.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does the tree house symbolize?

The tree house represents peace and childhood innocence.  It is hidden in the leaves away from all the evils of the world and allows the children to feel sheltered and safe in a "perfect" little world they create for themselves.  Nothing is ugly or revealed and naked/exposed there. 

In a way, the tree house is an extension of other mockingbird symbols, but isn't as prevelant and obvious as Boo or Tom and the relationships between people in the novel.  It is simply a temporary safe haven into which the children may escape for a brief hiatus.

What do the tree house and Atticus's gun symbolize in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 10, a rabid dog staggers down the middle of the main road and Atticus arrives on the scene with Sheriff Tate. Sheriff Tate is aware that Atticus is an expert marksman and gives Atticus the rifle to shoot the mad dog. Atticus reluctantly takes Sheriff Tate's rifle and proceeds to kill the rabid dog in one shot. This scene symbolically represents Atticus's willingness to stand up against the community's ugly racism, which is symbolically represented by the rabid dog. The rifle symbolically represents Atticus's strength and resolve to protect his family and community. The rifle also symbolizes protection, safety, and moral authority. After Atticus shoots and kills Tim Johnson, Miss Maudie explains to the children that Atticus never took pride in his marksmanship abilities and stopped hunting because God had given him an unfair advantage over animals. Essentially, Atticus is only willing to use lethal force and harm others when it is necessary to protect vulnerable, defenseless beings. Atticus defending his family and neighbors from the rabid dog using Sheriff Tate's gun corresponds to his verbal attack during his cross-examination of Mayella Ewell and his valiant defense of Tom Robinson. Unfortunately, Atticus cannot protect Tom Robinson from the community's ugly prejudice like he protected others from the rabid dog.

What does the gun symbolize in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are several references to guns in To Kill a Mockingbird; let me go through a few of them. The first mention of a gun is the shotgun sound that rang on the night Dill, Scout, and Jem went into the Radley yard. This is where Jem’s pants get caught on the fence. All is well, but the thought that there is danger even in the world of children is present.

The second instance comes when Jem gets a gun for his birthday. This is where Atticus makes the important point that it is a sin to shoot a mockingbird.

When he gave us our air-rifles Atticus wouldn’t teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn’t interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem one day, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

The point here is that no one should harm anything that only does good for people. To harm something so good is nothing short of a sin. All of this, of course, points to Tom Robinson, who is symbolically a mockingbird.

Another reference to a gun appears when Atticus shots a rabid dog. This symbolic point here is that Atticus is a protector of people. He does not like guns, but he will use a gun to protect others. This is where we also find out that Atticus was once called "One-shot Finch" due to his excellent marksmanship.

Here is one more reference that has a lesson: Atticus wanted Jem to read to Mrs. Dubose to show him what true courage is, and Jem learned a valuable lesson. Here are Atticus’s words:

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her.

What does the gun symbolize in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

The ultimate symbolic meaning of the gun seems to relate to notions of maturity and restraint. These concepts are directly aligned with each appearance of guns in the novel. 

In the episode where Atticus shoots the rabid dog, we learn that Atticus was once the "best shot" in Maycomb. When he grew up, however, he put away thoughts of shooting. 

Jem and Scout wonder why this would be. Miss Maudie explains that Atticus must have realized that his ability to shoot was a gift that other creatures did not share, which gave him an unfair advantage. In his sense of integrity and fairness, Atticus decided to give up the use of this skill - a decision expressive of his maturity.

Scout admires Atticus for his shooting talent, but Jem admires him for his gentlemanly restraint.

Scout and Jem, on the contrary, are excited to receive pellet guns for gifts. They are invigorated by the power that guns bring. This is expressive of their lack of maturity. Yet, they do learn restraint. 

Immediately upon receiving the pellet guns, Scout and Jem are given an instruction about what they can and cannot shoot, forced to set limits on the use of their power. 

Atticus tells them it's all right to shoot at blue jays, but "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Restraint is also clearly at issue in the scene that takes place outside of the jail the night before the trial. Guns appear in this scene, but the power of restraint prevails.

what does the treehouse in to kill a mockingbird represent,

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel rich with symbols and imagery. We watch as Jem and Scout experience that their picturesque town is not as perfect and innocent as it appears. It is a "coming of age" story, and we see Jem, in particular, move from the naiveté of a young boy into a young adult who becomes aware that evil and danger can exist anywhere, even Maycomb, Alabama. At the onset, the mystery of Boo Radley pierces the innocence of all three children: Jem, Scout and Dill. Like all children, they are curious regarding the mystery that surrounds him. There are many rumors about the fact that he was a violent teenager, and the children are frightened by him too. Yet, this pales in comparison to the antagonist of the novel, Bob Ewell. In him, the children uncover pure evil. So, as Jem (and Scout to a certain extent) teeter between the innocence of their childhood and the harsh realities of the adult world, they find a safe haven in the tree house. Despite the fact that Jem is moving from one world to another, he has a place to a transition. He can take a respite from the darker more sinister world of adulthood and take refuge in his tree house, a place of peace, solitude and innocence.