Furthermore, Lee builds up an increasingly uneasier atmosphere through Scout’s narrative. “..time had slowed to a nauseating crawl.”. This description suggests to the reader that there is a lot of tension, and the atmosphere is apprehensive and uncomfortable, as everything has seemed to slow down. Lee also uses the simile of “He walked quickly, but I thought he moved like an underwater swimmer..”, which juxtaposes Atticus’ quick and trepidatious walk, with Scout’s portrayal of the event. To Scout, and possibly the other onlookers, their fear has made them see Atticus move at a sluggish, lengthy pace, when in fact he is “walking quickly”. Lee does this to elongate the tension for the reader, which gradually builds up the danger in the passage.
In this passage, tension and danger are presented through Scouts innocent perspective of the event. We see, through Scout’s eyes that there is real danger approaching because even the adults in the passage are fearful. For children, it is unusual and even alarming when adults are scared, so this exacerbates their own panic. Therefore this also builds up danger in the passage, through the other character’s fear.
b) How does Lee use Atticus in one other event in the novel to show injustice in the 1930’s?
In Tom Robinson’s court case, Lee uses Atticus to represent the injustice of the time and event. Whilst the majority of the other characters in the book are prejudiced, Atticus Finch is unable to abide by the town’s ingrained racism, and by agreeing to defend Tom Robinson he dramatically separates himself off from the rest of the town. Lee does this to make the other character’s injustice more profound.
Atticus’ character does not change or progress throughout the novel, he is constantly the voice of reason. It could be argued that Lee does this to frame everyone else’s difficulty in getting a better understanding of justice, but also to frame other characters progression throughout the novel. Atticus is used to embody justice, and used to distinguish the difference between right and wrong in the old racist town of Maycomb. “..Nigger-lover is just one of those terms… ignorant, trashy people use it”. As Scout learns more about the existence of good and evil from Atticus, the readers understanding of morals and justice at the time also increases. This is a further way in which Lee uses Atticus to show injustice in the novel, because he is one of the few characters who acknowledge right and wrong.
