To Kill a

Mockingbird
Literary Analysis
By: Kyle, Brittany, and Trevor
Direct Characterization
Mr. Avery: Overweight; When we were on the sidewalk in
front of Miss Maudies, Mr. Avery accosted us. He had a pink
face and a big stomach. (65)
Atticus: Silent, withdrawn; In a group of neighbors, Atticus
was standing with his hands in his overcoat pockets. He
might have been watching a football game. (70)
Ike Finch: Proud; Cousin Ike Finch was Maycomb Countys
sole surviving Confederate veteran. He wore a General Hood
type beard of which he was inordinately vain. (76)
Aunt Alexandra: Distant and strict; Had I ever harbored the
mystical notions about mountains that seemed to obsess
lawyers and judges, Aunt Alexandra would have been Mount
Everest: throughout my early life, she was cold and there.
Indirect Characterization
Mr. Avery: Superstitious; See what youve done? he said.
Hasnt snowed in Maycomb since Appomattox. Its bad children
like you makes the seasons change. (65)
Atticus: Proud, loving and caring for his children; Son, I cant tell
what your going to be-an engineer, a lawyer or a portrait painter.
Youve perpetrated a near libel here in the front yard. Weve got to
disguise this fellow.
Jem: Industrious, creative and imaginative; Using bits of wood for
eyes, nose, and mouth, and buttons, Jem succeeded in Making Mr.
Avery look cross. A stick of stove wood completed the picture. Jem
stepped back and viewed his creation. (67)
Scout: Observant; By then he did not have to tell me. Just as the
birds know where to go when it rains, I knew there was trouble on
our street. (69)

Allusions
This time we arent fighting the Yankees, were fighting our
friends and this is our home. (76) This allusion is talking
about the Civil War. The Yankees were the name the
southerners gave the northerners. As one could guess, they
hated each other.
Farther down the stream, beyond the bluff, were traces if an
old cotton landing, where Finch Negroes had loaded bales
and produce, unloaded blocks of ice, flour and sugar, farm
equipment, feminine apparel. (79-80) Obviously, this quote
is about the slave trade. Back in the day, slaves were used
for labor and were sold alongside the previously mentioned
items.

Allusions Cont.
Uncle Jack plunged into another long story about an old Prime
Minister who sat in the House of Commons and blew feathers in the
air and tried to keep them there when all about him men were
losing their heads. (87) This is speaking about Lord Melbourne
who was the Prime Minister of England from 1835 to 1841. He was
famous for being a Whig politician.
Mr. Avery said that it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when
children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and made war
with each other, the seasons would change: Jem and I were
burdened with the guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature,
thereby causing unhappiness to our neighbors and discomfort to
ourselves. (63) The Rosetta Stone was an artifact discovered in
1799 and was used to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Figurative Language
Hyperbole: Next morning I awoke, looked out the window
and nearly died of fright. (64)
Imagery: Miss Maudies old sunhat glistened with snow
crystals. (65)
Personification: Roaring, the house collapsed; fire gushed
everywhere, followed by a flurry of blankets from men on the
top of the adjacent houses, beating out sparks and burning
chunks of wood. (71)
Imagery: The air was so cold and clear we heard the
courthouse clock clank, rattle, and strain before it struck the
hour. (74)
Simile: I liked to smell him: he was like a bottle of alcohol
and something pleasantly sweet. (79)

Themes
I guess it aint you fault that Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but
Im here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-. (83)
Everyone who is different is a target. This theme is shown by the fact that
just because Atticus is defending an African-American as required by law,
they are beginning to loathe him. This also extends to the treatment of the
black community at this time. Simply because of the color of their skin,
these people are abused and hated.
Jem and I decided that Boo had got her at last, but when Atticus returned
from the Radley house he said that she died of natural causes, to our
disappointment. (64) A lack of understanding leads to false assumptions.
This quote also has a two-pronged point. On one hand, it shows that simply
because a woman died, they assumed it was Boo Radleys doing, as false
assumption. Also, because they have no idea about the real Boo Radley,
they have assumed he is the psychopathic murderer that the rumors make
him out to be.