Portrayal of Maycomb in To Kill a Mockingbird

In this passage, Maycomb is put across in a negative light. ‘Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town…’ The personification of the word tired emphasises the lack of enthusiasm, about everything, the people of Maycomb have. This also shows how tired and backward Maycomb is. ‘Tired’ also indicates that the town is very boring and new concepts are not welcome, everyone is set in their own ways, and no is willing to change. There is also the repetition of the word ‘old’ which gives the impression of a dirty decaying town. This emphasises how old fashioned and backward the town is. The paragraph also describes how the town is not looked after by anyone. Lee describes the weather as ‘rainy’ once again adding to the sense of dreariness of the town. ‘The court house sagged on the square…’ A courthouse is supposed to be a majestic building, which stands proudly in the center of the square, but because Lee uses the word ‘sagged’ it takes away that impression. Instead the readers are left with the idea that people in the town of Maycomb don’t care about anything, that even the buildings are lost and forgotten.
Men are portrayed as having a lot of pride, and even after the work so hard and for so long; they have a need to look professional and smart. ‘Men’s stiff collars, wilted by nice in the morning.’ Lee uses the word ‘wilted’ in this sentence, which enhances the atmosphere of Maycomb. The heat may be another cause of the pessimistic feel of Maycomb. The difference between the words stiff and wilted shows the reader that the heat is powerful and capable of ruining even a small thing like collars. There aren’t any leisure activities described in this passage. Residents don't really have anything to do with their time. Lee represents the women as very lazy and slow as they don't do much. All they do is ‘bathe’ and have a nap. Lee also uses words like ‘amble’ and ‘shuffled’ which puts the people across as lazy, or that they have no care in the world and have