“To Kill a Mockingbird” In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee it incorporates a slew of symbols and symbolism. An example of that is the mockingbird which is most talked about and is highly focused on. That it is an example of innocence and it doesn't do anyone any harm but it is rather there for enjoyment. But another symbol to consider would be the mad dog presented in chapter 10. Tim Johnson was his name, he was not always rabid, instead loved and cared for, the town pet. He was just sniffing along, investigating interesting smells, burying bones only to dig them up again, and doing doglike tasks, when suddenly Harper Lee picks him up and decrees he has to die. But why? What did poor Tim the Dog ever do to get infected with rabies and be gunned down like, well, a dog? To begin with his name, Tim Johnson is a family like name, why the pets were given the last names of their owner was tradition in Maycomb, same as Judge Taylor’s dog. Though the name Tim Johnson does sound a lot like the name of Tom Robinson. Scout associates the killing of the dog to the memory of Atticus at the Maycomb jail. She says, “I was very tired, and was drifting into sleep when the memory of Atticus calmly folding his newspaper and pushing back his hat became Atticus standing in the middle of an empty waiting street, pushing up his glasses. The full meaning of the night's events hit me and I began crying.” in Chapter 16. She connects it because it is something her father does not wish to do but must. The mad dog represents anger in people for things they don't understand or are fearful of. It can also been seen how Atticus Finch controls the situation of the mad dog with tolerance. The mad dog represents conflicts in society, and the only way stay in control of society is to use the good qualities of Atticus; patience and tolerance. When Atticus shoots the mad dog, he portrays the definition of gentlemanly behavior that disagrees with the idea of self-expression. Tim Johnson also symbolises racism in the small town of Maycomb. when it roams the streets of the neighbourhood, all the citizens hide away in their houses with the windows and doors all shut and board up. This symbolises the way the citizens of maycomb are ignorant of their racist and prejudice