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Harper Lee uses a variety of language styles to establish the distinct characteristics of the characters she creates. The many forms of diction and dialect used throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird help accentuate the realism of the characters to the reader. The story takes place in a small town in Maycomb county, Alabama, so its not surprising that siblings, Scout and Jem, and their friend Dill all talk with a southern accent. In a conversation between the three of them in Chapter 1, the southern dialect is quite evident.
Jem, who is meeting Dill for the first time says, Shoot, no wonder, then. Scout yonder's been readin ever since she was born, and she aint even started to school yet. You look right puny for goin on seven. The use of the words aint, and yonder give the reader a more realistic feeling of being in the south. If the characters spoke with proper English, the reader would have a hard time believing that these children live in a small southern town.
Without even being told that the story takes place in the south, the reader can figure it out just by the dialect alone. In the same conversation, Jem makes fun of Dills name. Dill then replies, s not any funnier yours. When the text is read, the improper contractions help the reader hear the characters voice. The written-out southern dialect helps the reader to not only read the dialogue, but also speak it as if it were the character.
In doing so, the character comes alive through the words, and the reader can sense that. The author also uses diction throughout the story. The different vocabularies each of the characters have can tell the reader many things about that person. For instance, in chapter 3, Burris Ewell yells to the teacher, Aint no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born cn make me do nothin!
You aint makin me go nowhere missus. You just remember that, you aint makin me go nowhere! From this quote alone, the reader might get the impression that Burris is uneducated. The use of the words slut and snot-nosed inform the reader that the character obviously doesnt have a wonderful vocabulary. If it had been written, no conceited and unchaste school teacher is forcing me to proceed anywhere, the reader wouldve gotten a completely different impression of the character. Burris, in fact, is very poor, and because he only attends the first day of first grade every year, he is deprived of a decent education.
The way he speaks, and the authors choice of vocabulary helps the reader realize this right away. Diction can also be used to emphasize the amount of power a character holds in society. In chapter 17, Judge Taylor says to Robert Ewell, Well, lets get something straight. There will be no more audibly obscene speculations on any subject from anybody in this courtroom as long as Im sitting here. Do you understand? This quote evidently shows that Judge Taylor is a man with a very advanced education.
While all of the other characters talk with poor vocabularies, he uses very specific words. He holds a very high place in society with the occupation of a Judge. The reader can sense this when hearing the way he speaks. One would guess that he would have a lot of money, and be looked up to. The reader can make many assumptions of a character just by listening to the way he or she talks. Dialect and diction help the reader grasp the personalities and traits of the characters.
Harper Lees language usage not only makes the characters come alive, but it makes the characters appear real, and especially believable.
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