To Kill a Mockingbird Literary Devices

Explanation and Analysis—Dill and Boo Radley:

In the following passage from Chapter 1, Scout describes Dill's relationship to and morbid fascination with the Radley House.

The Radley Place fascinated Dill. In spite of our warnings and explanations it drew him as the moon draws water, but drew him no nearer than the light-pole on the corner, a safe distance from the Radley gate. There he would stand, his arm around the fat pole, staring and wondering.

Scout uses simile to describe the draw Dill feels towards the Radley Place as the same force governing the tides. This figurative language communicates the natural, deeply-ingrained curiosity of childhood. Any attempt to hinder a child's curiosity would be akin to attempting to halt a naturally occurring force. While Dill and the other children are misguided at times in their behavior towards Boo, any negative stereotypes they perpetuate about him stem not from malice, but curiosity. Boo's level of remove from society is, to Dill, unprecedented. He has likely never before encountered such a person, and as a naturally curious child, he is intrigued by the mystery Boo presents. Over the course of the novel, Dill, Scout, and Jem must all learn that unthinking curiosity may cause unintentional harm to others.

Explanation and Analysis—Boo's Head:

In Chapter 1, Jem shares a tale that he's heard about Boo Radley, claiming that Miss Stephanie Crawford once woke up to Boo watching her in the night. According to Jem, Miss Stephanie used a particular simile to describe this experience:

Jem said, “He goes out, all right, when it’s pitch dark. Miss Stephanie Crawford said she woke up in the middle of the night one time and saw him looking straight through the window at her . . . said his head was like a skull lookin’ at her."

This simile demonstrates yet another method by which Boo is dehumanized: his face is "like a skull" in Miss Stephanie's imagination, appearing as some otherworldly figure from beyond the grave. The skull imagery utilized in this passage calls to mind an emaciated man, skin stretched tight across his skull, suffering from some kind of illness or addiction. He appears as a man wasting away, clinging to the Radley House as a force grounding him to the mortal plane.

This description of Boo, and the associated imagery, should not be taken at face value by the reader: it is clear that the public's view of Boo Radley is more fanciful than it is rooted in reality.

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Explanation and Analysis—Mount Everest:

In Chapter 9, Scout complains about her Aunt Alexandra, using a combination of simile and allusion:

Had I ever harbored the mystical notions about mountains that seem to obsess lawyers and judges, Aunt Alexandra would have been analogous to Mount Everest: throughout my early life, she was cold and there.

Scout uses simile to compare her Aunt to Mount Everest: she is cold, she is present, but she provides nothing more to her niece. Juxtaposed against Atticus, Aunt Alexandra is harsh and uncaring, despite pretending to be concerned at how Jem and Scout are being raised. She cares more about the family name and whether or not it is, in her opinion, being tarnished.

This passage may also allude to a quote from Sir Edmund Hillary, the first western man to reach the summit of Mount Everest. When asked why he climbed the mountain, Hillary famously responded, "because it is there." Similarly, Aunt Alexandra is "cold and there," unconcerned with Jem and Scout until she has the opportunity to judge them and comment on Atticus's parenting. Her statements of concern regarding Jem and Scout's upbringing are centered more around Aunt Alexandra than the children. Alexandra is engaging in moral posturing, and even Scout, as young as she is, can sense the lack of sincerity.

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Explanation and Analysis—Tim Johnson:

In the following excerpt from Chapter 10, Scout describes an old, infected dog named Tim Johnson:

Tim Johnson was advancing at a snail’s pace, but he was not playing or sniffing at foliage: he seemed dedicated to one course and motivated by an invisible force that was inching him toward us. We could see him shiver like a horse shedding flies; his jaw opened and shut; he was alist, but he was being pulled gradually toward us.

This simile helps to emphasize just how erratic and abnormal Tim Johnson's behavior is: dogs do not typically shiver and shake off flies as a reflex or second thought, like horses might. The entire above passage portrays Tim Johnson as something that could either be pitied or feared (or both). Scout herself seems uncertain how to feel—the entire scenario is an important learning experience for her.

Atticus clearly pities, rather than fears, Tim Johnson. He views the dog as defenseless, as less powerful than him. The choice to shoot Tim Johnson—to even use a gun at all—is one Atticus makes reluctantly. Through their father's behavior in this situation, Scout and Jem learn that machismo and violence are not signs of courage, especially if one targets those weaker than oneself.

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Explanation and Analysis—Underwater Swimmers:

In the following passage from Chapter 10, Scout describes a scenario where Atticus is forced to shoot a dying dog. She uses simile to paint the scene, characterizing her father for readers' benefit:

In a fog, Jem and I watched our father take the gun and walk out into the middle of the street. He walked quickly, but I thought he moved like an underwater swimmer: time had slowed to a nauseating crawl.

Scout compares her father to an "underwater swimmer," evoking the image of sluggishness. This bit of figurative language communicates the reticence Atticus feels when it comes to violence. Scout observes a delay in his movements, likely attributable to this reluctance: Atticus even tries to refuse the gun initially.

This moment in the story is important not only as a reflection of Atticus's character, but also as a crucial development in Scout's understanding of her father. At this point in the story, Lee reveals (and Scout learns) that, while Atticus has the capacity to commit violence, he usually chooses not to because it conflicts with his values. This scenario, among others, demonstrates to Scout the relationship between violence and power: one should not leverage access to power as a means of hurting other people.

Interestingly, this simile about "underwater swimmers" reappears in Chapter 21 when Scout describes her experience of watching the jury return after deciding to convict Tom Robinson. In particular, Scout notices her father's demeanor after the announcement, saying:

What happened after that had a dreamlike quality: in a dream I saw the jury return, moving like underwater swimmers, and Judge Taylor’s voice came from far away, and was tiny. I saw something only a lawyer’s child could be expected to see, could be expected to watch for, and it was like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing that the gun was empty.

In the above passage, Scout reintroduces her simile from Chapter 10. The original simile was used as characterization for Atticus, demonstrating his values and reluctance to use violence to solve his problems. Similarly, in the courtroom, Scout watches her father respond to something he finds morally reprehensible: the conviction of Tom Robinson. The jury members, too, seem to realize that what they are doing may be morally wrong: just like Atticus shooting the dog, the actions these jury members take will result in death. They trudge against this reality, moving slowly like "underwater swimmers" as if to prolong the inevitable.

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Explanation and Analysis—Oncoming Anger:

In this passage from Chapter 11, Scout uses both hyperbole and simile to describe an agonizing wait at home, following Jem's decision to destroy Mrs. Dubose's flowers.

Two geological ages later, we heard the soles of Atticus’s shoes scrape the front steps. The screen door slammed, there was a pause—Atticus was at the hat rack in the hall—and we heard him call, “Jem!” His voice was like the winter wind.

Clearly it did not actually take Atticus two "geological ages" to arrive home. This is hyperbole, used to illustrate the feeling of time slowing down to a crawl at the prospect of Atticus arriving home angry.

In a few short lines, Lee manages to accurately communicate one of the core anxieties young children must all deal with: the anticipation of punishment for wrongdoing. This is a natural part of growing up. After all, part of becoming an adult is learning to accept responsibility for one's actions. The importance of this lesson in Atticus's parenting is revealed through the children's behavior in this scene. Both Jem and Scout know that their father will not let them get away with terrorizing Mrs. Dubose, even if she deserves it. Atticus cares about principles and responsibility, and it is clear from the above excerpt that Jem feels guilty for violating those core values.

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Explanation and Analysis—Mrs. Dubose:

In Chapter 11, Scout and Jem must reckon with their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Dubose. The children start out despising the older woman, on account of her mean-spirited nature and penchant for insulting Atticus. Scout illuminates this hatred through her use of simile in the following passage:

Her mouth seemed to have a private existence of its own. It worked separate and apart from the rest of her, out and in, like a clam hole at low tide. Occasionally it would say, “Pt,” like some vicious substance coming to a boil.

Scout uses simile to describe Mrs. Dubose. It is evident from her description that she views Mrs. Dubose as disgusting—thus, the impulse to compare her to non-human entities or objects like a "clam hole at low tide." Note the specific use of language in this passage with the intent to dehumanize Mrs. Dubose: it is her mouth that "say[s] 'Pt' like some vicious substance coming to boil," not Mrs. Dubose herself. Her mouth has become an object, detached from any consciousness or agency.

This dehumanizing description of Mrs. Dubose is part of a larger narrative technique in To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee will frequently set up scenarios where the young protagonists (Jem, Scout, or Dill) have an encounter with someone deemed "lesser" by society; over the course of their experiences, these children must learn to set aside bias and treat all human beings with dignity.

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Explanation and Analysis—Underwater Swimmers:

In the following passage from Chapter 10, Scout describes a scenario where Atticus is forced to shoot a dying dog. She uses simile to paint the scene, characterizing her father for readers' benefit:

In a fog, Jem and I watched our father take the gun and walk out into the middle of the street. He walked quickly, but I thought he moved like an underwater swimmer: time had slowed to a nauseating crawl.

Scout compares her father to an "underwater swimmer," evoking the image of sluggishness. This bit of figurative language communicates the reticence Atticus feels when it comes to violence. Scout observes a delay in his movements, likely attributable to this reluctance: Atticus even tries to refuse the gun initially.

This moment in the story is important not only as a reflection of Atticus's character, but also as a crucial development in Scout's understanding of her father. At this point in the story, Lee reveals (and Scout learns) that, while Atticus has the capacity to commit violence, he usually chooses not to because it conflicts with his values. This scenario, among others, demonstrates to Scout the relationship between violence and power: one should not leverage access to power as a means of hurting other people.

Interestingly, this simile about "underwater swimmers" reappears in Chapter 21 when Scout describes her experience of watching the jury return after deciding to convict Tom Robinson. In particular, Scout notices her father's demeanor after the announcement, saying:

What happened after that had a dreamlike quality: in a dream I saw the jury return, moving like underwater swimmers, and Judge Taylor’s voice came from far away, and was tiny. I saw something only a lawyer’s child could be expected to see, could be expected to watch for, and it was like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing that the gun was empty.

In the above passage, Scout reintroduces her simile from Chapter 10. The original simile was used as characterization for Atticus, demonstrating his values and reluctance to use violence to solve his problems. Similarly, in the courtroom, Scout watches her father respond to something he finds morally reprehensible: the conviction of Tom Robinson. The jury members, too, seem to realize that what they are doing may be morally wrong: just like Atticus shooting the dog, the actions these jury members take will result in death. They trudge against this reality, moving slowly like "underwater swimmers" as if to prolong the inevitable.

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Explanation and Analysis—Comfort:

In the following excerpt from Chapter 21, Jem uses a simile to describe how his feelings regarding Maycomb have changed following the first Tom Robinson trial:

Jem was staring at his half-eaten cake. “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is,” he said. “Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like.”

Jem uses the simile of a caterpillar in a cocoon to describe his disillusionment with Maycomb and its residents after the trial of Tom Robinson. Before the trial, Jem felt comforted by the warmth and security of his town; afterwards, he no longer sees Maycomb as a place of comfort. The treatment of Tom Robinson has awoken him to the harsher realities of the world. Jem, like most children, has a somewhat idealistic view of the justice system, believing that every person involved in a trial has good intentions. Like a caterpillar emerging from a cocoon into the world for the first time, Jem is learning about the world's more difficult realities—like bias and prejudice—for the first time. This is an important moment in any child's life.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird: Similes 8 key examples