| Literary Devices | Explanation |
| Action | The main action in the novel is that the children are fascinated with Boo Radley, the trial of Tom Robinson, and his demise. The rising action is the children’s fascination of Boo. The falling action is the threats of Bob Ewell to Atticus and Boo saving the children from Bob Ewell. |
| Allegory | Tim Johnson is the bird dog of citizens of Maycomb. Boo is an outsider who the society shuns and yet he sacrifices himself so that the level of prejudice would change in Maycomb. |
| Antagonist | Bob Ewell is the main antagonist in the novel. He falsely accuses Tom Robinson of raping his daughter despite his drunken state when the events occurred. |
| Allusion | Dill is the pocket Merlin (the legendary magician as well as advisor to King Arthur) and has eccentrics plans, strange desires, and old-fashioned fantasies. The allusion to the pestilence surfaces with the Miss Maudie’s face. |
| Conflict | Main conflict: African American and the whites of Maycomb. Second Conflict: those in the society who want their children to move away from the prejudice in the society and see each other as equal versus those who believe that Atticus has deviated from the expectations of the society and has joined the black society. |
| Characters | The characters are round and flat. Atticus is a round character as his personality and actions are versatile. His individuality allows him to defend Tom Robinson completely. Jem and Scout are round characters as well. Bob and Mayella Ewell are flat characters as they are constant in their actions. This means that they do not change even at the end of the novel. They remain prejudiced and unforgiving. |
| Climax | This is where the conflicts in the novel reach a final moment. The attack on Scout and Jem, the breaking of Jem’s arm and Boo saving the children. At this point, Scout finally speaks to Boo Radley. The moment of the anti-climax comes when there is the rumor that Tom has been shot while he tries to flee prison. Additionally, Bob attempts to intimidate Atticus but Atticus does not accept the threats that Bob issues. |
| Dialogue | There is good dialogue in the novel as the characters correspond with each other through speech. |
| Foreshadowing | Examples of foreshadow in the novel: I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Atticus . . . His kind’d do anything to pay off a grudge. You know how those people are. (Chapter 23). This example shows Alexandra’s warning to Atticus that Bob Ewell is revengeful and that he would cause challenges for Atticus and his family. “Ruth Jones, the welfare lady, said Mr. Ewell openly accused Atticus of getting his job. She was upset enough to walk down to Atticus’s office and tell him about it. (Chapter 27) This is where Scout believes that these three things influence Bob Ewell and his vengeance. High above us in the darkness a solitary mocker poured out his repertoire in blissful unawareness of whose tree he sat in, plunging from the shrill kee, kee of the sunflower bird to the irascible qua-ack of a bluejay, to the sad lament of Poor Will, Poor Will, Poor Will. (Chapter 28) Here, Scout likens Boo to the mockingbird once more. |
| Hero | Atticus Finch is the true hero when he fights for Tom to the end of the trial. In addition, Boo and Scout are the protagonists in the scenes that they appear. |
| Hyperbole | Lee uses hyperbole to write of Maycomb in the first chapter: A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. (Chapter-1) In this exaggeration, the author stresses the fact that it could have been otherwise in Maycomb. |
| Irony | The irony in the novel is clear with Scout and Jem’s attempt to pull Boo Radley out of hiding. In addition, it is ironical that Tom tries to free himself with his escape, but he is killed in his own action. |
| Metaphor | The use of the metaphor is clear in the author’s use of the mockingbird to represent someone who creates happiness to others. Other metaphors include: Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it.You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-“ “Sir?” …until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. One time (Atticus) said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. The first metaphor compares Maycomb to an old town while the metaphor in the second compares persons to other persons. |
| Mood | The mood in the novel at the start is serious. Later it becomes humorous and light but still one can find it somber and profound at times when there is the issue of racial prejudice, discrimination, and hatred. |
| Motif | A motif is a recurring idea that allows for an understanding of the mood or theme. Common motifs in the novel includes the character of Boo Radley, the darkness that is quite real, night, and gothic jail. |
| Narrator | The story is told from a first-person child narrator. She is also one of the heroes in the novel. Jean Louise Scout Finch tells the story based on her thoughts and tries to remove the racial hatred in Maycomb. |
| Protagonist | Scout Finch is the main protagonist in the novel, and she tells the story. But Boo Radley is another protagonist, and he saves the children. |
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