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To Kill A Mockingbird Crowd Analysis

545 Words3 Pages

Within the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the shift in feelings towards different crowds that emerge, affect the overall tone and therefore the theme of the novel, by manipulating the readers response through chiaroscuro, and the fictional characters feelings towards each crowd. Inside of chapter 15, the reader may encounter two different types of crowds, which the author wants us to consider. The first crowd is simply an audience asking for a deeper insight to the upcoming court case, where as the other crowd The Old Sarum Bunch, is a lynching proletariat mob wanting to kill Tom Robinson without a legal trial. The members of this group appointed themselves to take on this responsibility out of their own recklessness. Mr. Link Deas draws attention to the Old Sarum Bunch; “you know how they do when they …show more content…

The first crowd approaches the Finch’s home asking Atticus for more information. Scout and Jem both are intentionally perceived to be scared of this crowd, because of their lack of knowledge of the crowd only wanting answers. Lee wants the reader to only hear “murmurs” (194) within the crowd, which one can conclude a sense of fear within the characters of the story (Jem, Dill and Scout). The young narrator, Scout, draws attention to the “pale” (194) coloration of her brothers skin tone. Their father then contrasts this bright paleness, with the examination of “Why on earth are you sitting in the dark?” (194). Atticus confirms the fear of the crowd between the younger characters when he questions “Your not scared of that crowd.” (194). The use of the words “that” refers to another type of crowd and displays intentional contrasts, in order to evoke a readers response. The use of chiaroscuro along with the use of an informational audience, used to structure the overall tone within the story, allows the reader to competently understand the theme of the

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