To Kill A Mockingbird 89 written trial questions from the book chapters
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English Assignment 20A
How is tension created in chapter 6 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
In chapter 6, Jem and Dill’s inquisitive natures lead them to rebellious behaviour as they
form a plan to get a ‘peek’ at Boo Radley- still not believing the idea that Boo Radley exists -
despite Atticus’ warnings. Scout follows along in their adventure, fearful of being
abandoned and mocked for her girlish behaviour. Due to the manner in which they entered
the Radley’ property, Mr Nathan Radley (Boo Radley’s brother) assumed that someone was
intruding on his property and shoots. The kids scramble and luckily escape unscathed, but
Jem loses his pants in the process. He later returns to get his pants, in order to remain in
Atticus’ best wishes. To create and develop suspense leading up to this, Harper Lee employs
a variety of literary devices and techniques, which will be examined in this essay.
To build suspense, the author effectively uses description of setting to set the scene. The
kids listen to the "porch swings creaking with the weight of the neighbourhood, listening to
the gentle night-murmurs of the grown people on our street" as they walk down the street.
The relatively quiet night creates an unsettling feeling, and the reader expects something to
happen. Dill then suggests they go for a walk- but Scout concludes this as abnormal, saying:
‘He sounded fishy’ and ‘Nobody in Maycomb just went for a walk’. This intrigues the reader
because the author keeps Dill's true motives hidden from Scout and the audience.
Furthermore, short sentences are also used to increase tension. “Jem touched it. The gate
squeaked”. The reader is now acutely aware of every sound, fearful that it will reveal the
presence of the children. “The step squeaked” as Jem ascends the porch, making the reader
cringe with the influence of the onomatopoeia. The suspense builds, but then deflates as
“the step was silent.” Jem then tells the others to “Spit on it [the hinges]” to stop the gate
from squeaking, suggesting that Jem is afraid of getting caught for his reckless act of
trespassing into someone's house, mirroring the readers emotions.
Scout describes the Radley’s porch as in a severe state of disrepair. This word ‘ramshackle’
denotes the messy environment that adds to the uncomfortable feeling that something
unpleasant is going to happen, heightening the tension. Lee then describes a loose shutter
and “above it a hat-rack mirror caught the moon and shone eerily”. The Radley’s place is
portrayed as looking like an abandoned house, and the night setting adds on to the
creepiness.
But “Then I [Scout] saw the shadow”. This short sentence creates an immediate sense of
dread and raises questions. Then: “the shadow, crisp as toast, moved across the porch
toward Jem”. The metaphor ‘crisp as toast’ indicates that the shadow visible and clear and
not vague, implying that it is close by. The repetition of the word ‘shadow’ and ‘shadow of a
man’ create tension as the author does not disclose who the shadow is to the characters,
thereby also keeping the identity of the shadow from the reader. This creates a disturbing
feeling that they are being watched or followed as the tension rises while readers wait with
baited breath to see if the kids are discovered. “Dill saw it next. He put his hands to his face.
When it crossed Jem, Jem saw it. He put his arms over his head and went rigid.” The word
‘rigid’ effectively coveys how tense and terrified Jem, as well as the reader, is at this stage.
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