The Maycomb county court house is described as an ancient form of architecture preserved to keep every scrap of the past. It is described as having greek columns too heavy for their burden, this portrays huge white greek columns holding something weaker. The greek columns are said to clash with the clock tower which is from the nineteenth century. The clock tower is a unreliable rusty instrument.
Harper Lee uses the symbolism of the courthouse to display the views of the society in Maycomb county of its past. The greek columns symbolise democracy and justice because the greeks where the first to create the idea of democracy and that ideology. Also it is stated that “The pillars were all that remained standing after the original courthouse burned down.” This shows how the society are keen on holding on to justice. However, they are described as being too heavy for their burden, this shows that the justice is much more powerful than the things it carries.
Also, the greek columns clash with the nineteenth century clock tower which symbolises the racist past. The clock tower is a rusty and unreliable instrument showing that the past idealism is rusty and it clashes with the ideology of the greeks. The fact that they decide to keep it symbolises that the society are keen to preserve every scrap of the past which in reality is the past of slavery. Maycomb county is in the South which were forced to ban slavery, they had a war to try to keep slavery happening. That is why the south may keep its past so dear to them and would like to preserve it, even if their past is not a good one.
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