In the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, important symbols and metaphors feature throughout, all of which trace most elements and get right into the heart of the story. In a way they help tell the story and add each add a new dimension to the story. The Mad Dog incident is one of the stand-out symbolisations in the story, and many of the characters themselves have symbolic values, especially Atticus Finch. The idea of ‘it being a sin to kill a mockingbird’ is explored.