To Kill a Mockingbird

Throughout the novel, Jem, Scout, Dill, and other young characters frequently play games, with the central characters of these games often being real adults in the world around them. "Play" takes on an additional meaning through this motif in the novel, representing a disconnect between the world of children and the world of adulthood. Take, for instance, the drama that Jem, Scout, and Dill enact about Boo Radley over the course of several chapters. Their intent with this play is not malicious; rather, they are handling the heavy subjects of mental health, abuse, and neglect through one of the only mediums they have available to them.

Throughout the novel, both people of color (i.e., Tom Robinson) and people with mental illness (i.e., Boo Radley) are often compared through figurative language or description to animals. This motif is used instructively to demonstrate to the reader that people tend to dehumanize those they view as different and that they will justify this dehumanization by portraying the "other" as inherently animalistic or violent.

In one example from Chapter 1, Jem employs this motif, describing Boo Radley as a turtle:

“Dill, you have to think about these things,” Jem said. “Lemme think a minute . . . it’s sort of like making a turtle come out . . .”
“How’s that?” asked Dill.
“Strike a match under him.”
I told Jem if he set fire to the Radley house I was going to tell Atticus on him. Dill said striking a match under a turtle was hateful. “Ain’t hateful, just persuades him—’s not like you’d chunk him in the fire,” Jem growled.
“How do you know a match don’t hurt him?”
“Turtles can’t feel, stupid,” said Jem.

Cite this Quote