Harper Lee's use of language in the novel is varied in
style and masterful in achieving her various literary purposes. Descriptive passages are
rich in imagery and sensory language; narrative passages are direct in relating events.
Moreover, dialog is frequently written in vernacular style to reflect the characters'
identities--listening to Atticus speak is far different from listening to Bob Ewell's
voice, not only in content but in diction. The language Atticus uses reflects his
intelligence and education; Bob Ewell's language reveals his ignorance. Also, the voice
of Alabama is heard in many Southern expressions and colloquialisms. In using language
so skillfully, Harper Lee tells a gripping story, creates individual characters, and
captures life in Maycomb. The language of the novel serves to develop many of the local
color elements in it.
Through the primary voice in the
novel, Scout's, Harper Lee creates the dramatic irony that drives the novel. Through
Scout's eyes, and in her own language, events unfold for readers to understand and
interpret from their adult perspectives. Frequently, this creates humor in the novel;
often it creates drama. Harper Lee's ideas of social equality and justice are expressed
through Atticus's integrity and through his children's growing awareness and ultimate
understanding of decency and moral behavior. From her perspective, the South at this
time was a place of racism and cruel injustice, weighed down by generations of tradition
and social class. However, she also shows it to be a place where courage and individual
conscience live and where change will occur as parents like Atticus teach their values
to their children.
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