How Does Harper Lee Use Conflict In To Kill A Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, she uses many literary devices to add to the fascination of the novel and to pull the plot together. Conflict is one of the literary elements that is used frequently within the novel to create tension amongst characters and to drive the narrative forward. This includes conflict within the characters themselves, conflict between strong characters and conflict as part of the climate of the community and country at the time the story was set. There are many cases of conflicts between parents and their children; Harper Lee uses these examples of conflict to add to the overall meaning of the text, especially the development of the children themselves. Parents are a colossal influence on their

He teaches his children the harsh aspects of the real world instead of shielding them from these realities. For example in the novel Jem is worried about the outcome of Bob Ewell’s threat to kill Atticus, Atticus responds with “Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does”(Lee, 292). Eventhough Atticus receives a death threat from Bob Ewell he still managed to tell Jem to have empathy for him, and Atticus is a role model by having empathy for Mr. Ewell himself. Atticus has the ability to imagine the world from the perspective of others which makes him a more compassionate and helpful father and neighbor. His goal is to translate this ability to his children, and it clearly has had a positive impact on both Jem and Scout’s perspective on the world itself, specifically Maycomb’s

Scout and Jem have Atticus, but what about Dill? In the novel Dill is a small, confident boy with a large and active imagination. Many people believe that he has a perfect home life because of his privilege but, Dill reveals that he often feels neglected by his parents. After he ran away he said “The thing is, what I'm tryin' to say is--, they do get on a lot better without me, I can't help them any. They ain't mean. They buy me everything I want, but it's now-you've-got-it-go-play-with-it. You've got a roomful of things. I-got-you-that-book-so-go-read-it.”(Lee, 191). When Dill came back to Maycomb, a place with whom he had a deep connection and history, he always wanted to be around people because he was craving the attention he never received at home. Studies show that child neglect can lead to a low self esteem, educational difficulties, depression, and trouble forming and maintaining relationships. In the novel Dill Symbolizes innocence and he is a very intelligent and bright individual, but because of his parents neglect and negative influence towards him his future may have many trouble-shoots awaiting and he may encounter things that take his innocence from him. Harper Lee used Dill to show that even people who are privileged do not always live a perfect life. Dill has had his own struggles in his life just as Jem and Scout have, but because