Hyperbole In To Kill A Mockingbird

This is a passage from the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee. Tom Robinson has been charged of rapping Mayella Ewell, daughter of Bob Ewell. Atticus, advocate of Tom has done well to prove that Tom is innocent but the tension still exists as Tom Robinson is a black person. Racism against black people, which was present in huge volume in Alabama (where the story takes place), even in the courtroom shows how intense the situations were. This passage shows how an innocent child (Jean Louise) views the racism that is present within Maycomb and its citizens, which causes loss of innocence and hope in several characters. The racism in the passage connects to the idea that black people were considered inferior, which is not true.

This quote is a hyperbole as it is over exaggerating every ‘guilty’ being told by the jury was a ‘stab’ to Jem. This is a good place that Lee used a hyperbole and it shows how badly Jem was hurt, mentally and emotionally, when he heard that the Tom was convicted guilty. This connects to the idea that when suddenly you realize that something that you have believed for most of your life is not true. This is what happens to Jem and as a result Jem loses his innocence as he believed that justice was served in the court, but became ultimately disillusioned when he came to know the evil side of Maycomb and its

The negative affects in this passage such as loss of hope and innocence, convicting an innocent person guilty etc., shows how powerful racism was in a Maycomb and the prejudiced behaviour of the citizens in Maycomb. Lee uses several literary devices in this passage to intensify the mood of the story and make people know that this is how bad situations were as a way to rebel against the racism present in this