The author, Harper Lee, uses various literary devices and imagery to present to the audience a horrific, sensational feeling of fear about the Ewell family’s dire living conditions. She also delves into social standards in the passage. Harper Lee uses hyperbole to express the alarming disregard the Ewells have for law enforcement. This is evident in the quote, “No truant officer could keep their numerous offspring in school.” Through this quote, it becomes clear that the Ewells showed no concern for following the law regarding their children’s education. They had no fear of law enforcement because they and the county had accepted that their lifestyle and the generational curse their children would face could not be changed. Not even the highest law enforcement officers, such as the “truant officers,” could instill any fear or horror in them. Hence, it is evident that they had no regard for law enforcement. The author continues to showcase the horrific, inconsiderate medical care the Ewells faced by using another hyperbole to highlight their neglect of physical health. This is illustrated in the quote, “No public health officer could free them from the congenital defects, various worms, and the diseases indigenous to filthy surroundings.” This quote clearly shows that, due to their awful living standards, they could not …show more content…
This is supported by the quote, “The varmints had a lean time of it, for the Ewells gave the dump a thorough gleaning every day.” This quote suggests that those living in poor conditions “fundamentally glean” the dump, indicating that even the garbage they relied on was picked clean. The expectation that a dump would be a place with plenty of waste contrasts with the reality that it’s regularly scavenged, leaving even the varmints struggling to find food. This ironic situation highlights how dreadful the Ewell’s living conditions