The Mad Dog as a Symbol
There was the time when a rabid dog (dog with rabies) came into the local neighbourhood, and so the Sherriff Heck Tate came about with Atticus, who went to shoot it. At first glance, we might not be able to see anything so special about that, but it turns out it was a really symbolic act that had value to the story. The concept of the incident is also reflected in other aspects of the story, and we can understand the connection between all the other incidents, aspects of characters etc., have with the Mad Dog.
When Atticus shot the dog, his children Scout and Jem who were witnessing it had the way they see their father radically changed. That is their whole understanding and perception of their father as a sensible, respectable character who is true to his values and beliefs and has a very wise and mature view of the World. In killing the ‘mad’ dog, the first initial reaction for the reader is that of a strong sense of irony, that “why would Atticus do a cruel thing like that?” sensation.
This concept is an idyllic symbol that represents the whole society of Maycomb as a whole. There is the way Atticus is indeed against using a gun normally as it ‘gives him an unfair advantage over nature’, but since he knew he had to get rid of the rabid dog and keep it from harm to anyone, he did do it. He demonstrated that he had the ability to be strong and put himself between two powerful opposing forces – innocence and danger -, and do what he must but keep in line without loosing his morality.
The stray dog’s name was Tim Johnson, which is a remarkably peculiar thing to call a dog. So the only reason for that would be for the purpose of a symbolic meaning – it sounds like Tom Robinson, giving off the implication that the dog and the Negro are consecutively related to each other.
We know the symbolic value of the Rabid Dog incident can have representation on behalf of the whole township of Maycomb. There is a dog infected with Rabies that has appeared in the street of the Finch’s neighbourhood, inflicting supreme concern and threat to the residents, and out of all who just bolt their doors and watch the scene anxiously, Atticus, along with Miss Maudie, is the only one who has the will to step up and be the one to deal with the dog. This concept is evident in the way that the township on a whole has the problem of prejudice, dominated by sheer racial discrimination amongst the people; as it seems nobody can deal with the issue itself, let alone with a single problematic dog, nobody can come into realisation for other people and create a sense of harmony and workmanship with people of different social classes and races.
So again, on the bigger scale, Atticus has the desire to be on the Negro Tom Robinson’s side in his trial. If he were not defending for Tom, nobody would, and he would be left to be at the mercy of the unjust white regulators and be charged for uncalled-for guilt of raping a white woman, only because he is a black person. There is a mad dog in amongst a mad society, embodying the forecast of events to do with Tom Robinson’s trial that are to unfold. Atticus sees the importance of abiding with the black man, and then help emphasise the point that Black people should be treated more fairly and a more just way.
When Atticus shot the dog, his children Scout and Jem who were witnessing it had the way they see their father radically changed. That is their whole understanding and perception of their father as a sensible, respectable character who is true to his values and beliefs and has a very wise and mature view of the World. In killing the ‘mad’ dog, the first initial reaction for the reader is that of a strong sense of irony, that “why would Atticus do a cruel thing like that?” sensation.
This concept is an idyllic symbol that represents the whole society of Maycomb as a whole. There is the way Atticus is indeed against using a gun normally as it ‘gives him an unfair advantage over nature’, but since he knew he had to get rid of the rabid dog and keep it from harm to anyone, he did do it. He demonstrated that he had the ability to be strong and put himself between two powerful opposing forces – innocence and danger -, and do what he must but keep in line without loosing his morality.
The stray dog’s name was Tim Johnson, which is a remarkably peculiar thing to call a dog. So the only reason for that would be for the purpose of a symbolic meaning – it sounds like Tom Robinson, giving off the implication that the dog and the Negro are consecutively related to each other.
We know the symbolic value of the Rabid Dog incident can have representation on behalf of the whole township of Maycomb. There is a dog infected with Rabies that has appeared in the street of the Finch’s neighbourhood, inflicting supreme concern and threat to the residents, and out of all who just bolt their doors and watch the scene anxiously, Atticus, along with Miss Maudie, is the only one who has the will to step up and be the one to deal with the dog. This concept is evident in the way that the township on a whole has the problem of prejudice, dominated by sheer racial discrimination amongst the people; as it seems nobody can deal with the issue itself, let alone with a single problematic dog, nobody can come into realisation for other people and create a sense of harmony and workmanship with people of different social classes and races.
So again, on the bigger scale, Atticus has the desire to be on the Negro Tom Robinson’s side in his trial. If he were not defending for Tom, nobody would, and he would be left to be at the mercy of the unjust white regulators and be charged for uncalled-for guilt of raping a white woman, only because he is a black person. There is a mad dog in amongst a mad society, embodying the forecast of events to do with Tom Robinson’s trial that are to unfold. Atticus sees the importance of abiding with the black man, and then help emphasise the point that Black people should be treated more fairly and a more just way.
