Allusions in To Kill a Mockingbird
10 Allusions from TKAM
1. “Angel May” (p. 51)
Angel May means the common nickname given to girls to mock their particularly “girly” behavior. Jem refers to Scout as Angel May when Dill and Jem were planning on going to the Radley’s house to try and see Boo Radley. Scout is a tomboy so Jem calling her this is like calling her weak and scared.
2. “Get Miss Maudie’s goat” (p.44)
An expression meaning, “to annoy someone jokingly.” Uncle Jack asks Miss Maudie to marry him every Christmas and she always answers back with a joke and always says no. Miss Maudie takes it exactly how Jack says it, as a friendly reoccurring joke between two friends.
3. “Nothing to buy and no money to buy it with” (p.5)
This refers to the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression; People lost most of their life savings during that time. In Maycomb, there really is nothing to do but talk to the townspeople, go to school, and attend church. The townspeople are mostly poor and wouldn't waste their money on unnecessary items.
4. “Bread lines in the cities grew longer” (p.116)
This referred to the various organizations that served bread and soup to unemployed people who could not afford to buy food during the Depression. As the Depression worsened, lines grew longer to accommodate the increasing number of unemployed. Many people in Maycomb are poor, and barely scrape up enough money for food to feed their families.
5. “Sit down strikes in Birmingham” (p.116)
During the Great Depression, many labor unions and related groups organized "sit-down strikes," during which works literally sat down and refused to work until demands were met or negotiated. These strikes did not happen in Maycomb, as there was barely enough stores in general, but Jem and Scout were affected as Atticus left the town to help the state legislator with the trouble the strikes were causing.
6. “My First Reader” (p.17)
This refers to the picture books for beginner readers. Miss Caroline has Scout read most
1. “Angel May” (p. 51)
Angel May means the common nickname given to girls to mock their particularly “girly” behavior. Jem refers to Scout as Angel May when Dill and Jem were planning on going to the Radley’s house to try and see Boo Radley. Scout is a tomboy so Jem calling her this is like calling her weak and scared.
2. “Get Miss Maudie’s goat” (p.44)
An expression meaning, “to annoy someone jokingly.” Uncle Jack asks Miss Maudie to marry him every Christmas and she always answers back with a joke and always says no. Miss Maudie takes it exactly how Jack says it, as a friendly reoccurring joke between two friends.
3. “Nothing to buy and no money to buy it with” (p.5)
This refers to the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression; People lost most of their life savings during that time. In Maycomb, there really is nothing to do but talk to the townspeople, go to school, and attend church. The townspeople are mostly poor and wouldn't waste their money on unnecessary items.
4. “Bread lines in the cities grew longer” (p.116)
This referred to the various organizations that served bread and soup to unemployed people who could not afford to buy food during the Depression. As the Depression worsened, lines grew longer to accommodate the increasing number of unemployed. Many people in Maycomb are poor, and barely scrape up enough money for food to feed their families.
5. “Sit down strikes in Birmingham” (p.116)
During the Great Depression, many labor unions and related groups organized "sit-down strikes," during which works literally sat down and refused to work until demands were met or negotiated. These strikes did not happen in Maycomb, as there was barely enough stores in general, but Jem and Scout were affected as Atticus left the town to help the state legislator with the trouble the strikes were causing.
6. “My First Reader” (p.17)
This refers to the picture books for beginner readers. Miss Caroline has Scout read most