Different objects can show the personality of different people through symbolism. Symbolism represents a certain way a type of person acts in a particular state or condition. To Kill a Mocking Bird has many objects that signify symbolism for each character.
Jem for instance, has many items that represent his characteristics in his own way. One object that represents Jem in the story is a football. Jem talks about playing football, and discusses it with Atticus. For example, Jem states, "When I play football with Atticus, we always play touch football, never tackle"(Lee 6). This shows that Jem wants his father to play football because Jem doesn't think Atticus can do anything else. He also wants his dad to do something that he can relate to. For instance, "Jem stayed silent while he read one of his new football magazines"(Lee 57). This proves that Jem was in a state of growing and didn't want to interact with Scout. In addition, Jem wants to focus more on football, and not as much with Scout. Another example is when Scout states, "Jem went out for football, but was too small and became the team's water boy"(Lee 66). This proves that even though Jem couldn't play football, he was still interested enough to be involved with the school's team. It also shows that he does everything he can to be around the sport.
Symbolism doesn't appear only once in a story, it appears in many different forms. Another object in the book that represents Jem is a spelling bee medal, which he found in a knot of a tree. "We were walking home from school one day, when we passed the Radley place when we suddenly saw a medal in the tree"(Lee 66). This shows that Jem was brave and decided to take the medal he saw from the knot in the tree. This proves that Jem realized that someone was leaving these important objects in the tree for a reason. Another example is when Jem stated "Scout don't tell anybody that I showed you this jewel box with this medal I found today"(Lee 93).