How Does Lee Make the Shooting of Tim Johnson Such a Tense and Exciting Moment in the Novel
14th June 2013
How Does Lee Make the Shooting of Tim Johnson Such a Tense and Exciting Moment in the Novel?
At the beginning of Chapter 10 Jem and Scout are embarrassed of Atticus as he is atypical to the other men of Maycomb. Lee writes ‘our Father didn’t do anything. He worked in an office’. Here she is establishing that Scout is ashamed as Atticus is opposite to the Fathers of Scout’s contemporaries. Lee emphasizes Scout’s remorse towards Atticus for wearing glasses, by writing, ‘besides that he wore glasses. He was nearly blind in his left eye.’ However, this is ironic, showing Scout’s naivety as Atticus has great moral courage.
Lee introduces the situation of the mad dog, Tim Johnson descriptively. The opening sentence ‘Tim Johnson was advancing at a snail’s pace, but he was not playing or sniffing at foliage’, first uses a metaphor to create a sense of slow movement, and the fact that he was not ‘playing or sniffing at foliage’ suggests that Tim Johnson is behaving abnormally for a dog, which arouses the readers curiosity. Lee’s description ‘he seemed dedicated to one course and motivated by an invisible force’ includes the words ‘dedicated’ and ‘motivated’ which builds up and sense of anticipation. The simile ‘We could see him shiver like a horse shedding flies’ indicates that Tim Johnson was moving in an irregular twitching motion and was very sick. The long, complex sentences of the introduction build suspense.
Lee foreshadows the climax of the event through Heck Tate’s comment, ‘He’s far from dead, Jem, hasn’t got started yet.’ The fact that the mad dog is very much alive and his death is not anticipated yet creates a feeling of trepidation. The phrase ‘what remained of his poor mind made him pause’ elicits some sympathy for Tim Johnson as he has been involuntarily overrun by disease, but also illustrates to the reader that the dog is harmful as he is not acting out of choice and the rabies are getting the better of him.
When Heck hands a
How Does Lee Make the Shooting of Tim Johnson Such a Tense and Exciting Moment in the Novel?
At the beginning of Chapter 10 Jem and Scout are embarrassed of Atticus as he is atypical to the other men of Maycomb. Lee writes ‘our Father didn’t do anything. He worked in an office’. Here she is establishing that Scout is ashamed as Atticus is opposite to the Fathers of Scout’s contemporaries. Lee emphasizes Scout’s remorse towards Atticus for wearing glasses, by writing, ‘besides that he wore glasses. He was nearly blind in his left eye.’ However, this is ironic, showing Scout’s naivety as Atticus has great moral courage.
Lee introduces the situation of the mad dog, Tim Johnson descriptively. The opening sentence ‘Tim Johnson was advancing at a snail’s pace, but he was not playing or sniffing at foliage’, first uses a metaphor to create a sense of slow movement, and the fact that he was not ‘playing or sniffing at foliage’ suggests that Tim Johnson is behaving abnormally for a dog, which arouses the readers curiosity. Lee’s description ‘he seemed dedicated to one course and motivated by an invisible force’ includes the words ‘dedicated’ and ‘motivated’ which builds up and sense of anticipation. The simile ‘We could see him shiver like a horse shedding flies’ indicates that Tim Johnson was moving in an irregular twitching motion and was very sick. The long, complex sentences of the introduction build suspense.
Lee foreshadows the climax of the event through Heck Tate’s comment, ‘He’s far from dead, Jem, hasn’t got started yet.’ The fact that the mad dog is very much alive and his death is not anticipated yet creates a feeling of trepidation. The phrase ‘what remained of his poor mind made him pause’ elicits some sympathy for Tim Johnson as he has been involuntarily overrun by disease, but also illustrates to the reader that the dog is harmful as he is not acting out of choice and the rabies are getting the better of him.
When Heck hands a