Character and POV
How does the town characterise Boo before readers meet him? Device?
INDIRECT CHARACTERISATION: Rumours, gifts, actions and other characters’ reactions create mystery and show how prejudice distorts perception.
The opening hints that a dangerous event will occur. What is the effect of revealing this before it happens? Device?
FORESHADOWING: Jem's broken arm anticipates the attack
Creates anticipation and suspense while making readers interpret earlier details as clues.
“people generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for” (ch17)
SYNECHDOCHE: “People” is used collectively to represent the wider society. The generalisation suggests that prejudice affects entire communities, not merely individuals.
“They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing…”
REPETITION or ANAPHORA: Repeated structures reinforce the mockingbird's innocence and make Miss Maudie's explanation emphatic.
“until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”
METAPHOR: Atticus metaphorically presents empathy as physically entering another person's body. It makes an abstract moral lesson concrete for Scout.
Why is it significant that Scout narrates using “I”?
Device?
FIRST PERSON NARRATOR: Gives intimate access to her perceptions while limiting what readers know, allowing later adult reflection to coexist with childhood misunderstanding.
The story is told from a later point of view, looking back. Device? Why is retrospective narration useful?
FLASHBACK: It lets the narrator frame childhood events with mature understanding and creates distance between experience and reflection
“The senseless slaughter of songbirds.”
ALLITERATION: The soft hissing of the "s" sound creates a kind of rhythm that mirrors the repetitive nature of senseless violence. The phrase flows almost like a lament, in silence
“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town”
PERSONIFICATION: Maycomb is given a human quality: “tired.” This makes the town seem exhausted, stagnant and resistant to change.
“A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer.”
HYPERBOLE Scout exaggerates the passage of time to communicate how slow and uneventful life in Maycomb feels.
How does Scout’s perspective affect the presentation of racism? Device?
POV: Childlike misunderstanding exposes adult prejudice indirectly; readers may perceive contradictions before Scout fully understands them.
Most important event from which there is no turning back in the plotline. Device?
Why does Lee place it after the trial?
CLIMAX: The attack on Scout and Jem converts social injustice into immediate physical danger, linking the novel’s moral and plot conflicts.
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.”
SYMBOL/ISM: The mockingbird becomes a symbol of innocence and harmlessness. This develops into the symbolic treatment of Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.
They were sad, and “in rainy weather the streets turned to red slop”
PATHETIC FALLACY: The unpleasant weather is connected with an unpleasant physical environment. The “red slop” contributes to a gloomy, oppressive picture of Maycomb.
“This case is as simple as black and white.”
ANTITHESIS The contrast between “black” and “white” refers both to the apparent simplicity of the evidence and to the racial conflict at the centre of the trial.
How is Scout described by H. Lee?
DIRECT CHARACTERISATION: Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is characterised as a fiercely intelligent, hot-tempered, and deeply observant tomboy
How does Lee juxtapose childhood play with the trial and racial violence?
JUXTAPOSITION: The contrast exposes how adult prejudice corrupts the seemingly safe world of childhood and makes injustice feel more disturbing.
“by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum”
SIMILE: The simile creates vivid imagery while humorously portraying the oppressive Alabama heat.
“sweltering hot cool shade of the live oaks on the square”
OXYMORON: “Sweltering” suggests unbearable heat while “shade” normally suggests relief and coolness. The tension emphasises the intensity of the heat.
(About Atticus) “With his infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas…”
METAPHOR or HYPERBOLE The “turbulent seas” metaphor transforms the courtroom situation into a storm that Atticus attempts to control. It conveys his calmness and self-control in an increasingly tense environment that only Atticus has
How does the adult Scout persona influence the telling of childhood events?
PERSONA: Adult viewpoint adds reflection and irony, encouraging readers to see childhood memories as part of growing up and maturing
Repetition of a symbol or idea. Device?
How does repetition develop the theme?
MOTIF: The recurring idea links literal vision with moral perception, showing that understanding requires looking beyond stereotypes.
When confronting the mob, Atticus asked, “Do you think so?”
RHETORICAL QUESTION: Atticus's apparently simple question challenges the mob members to reconsider their actions and recognise their individual humanity.
“Bam! The door slammed and Miss Caroline's eyes widened.”
ONOMATOPOEIA “Bam!” imitates a sudden sound, making the moment vivid and dramatic and helping to create an abrupt shift in tension.
(When snow goes away) "Atticus, the world’s coming to an end!”
HYPERBOLE: Scout greatly exaggerates the significance of the snow. The hyperbole reveals her childlike perspective while also making the unusual event seem dramatic.