Tension in Chapter 6 of 'to Kill a Mockingbird'

In chapter six; Jem and Dill’s’ inquisitive’ natures lead them to become rebellious. Their plan was to trespass into Boo Radley’s property in order to understand more about the personality of this ‘mysterious’ character. Scout joins them on their night-time exploration because she is afraid of being left out. Due to the nature in which they entered the house, Nathan Radley-Boo Radley’s brother shoots at them as he thought his house was attacked by burglars. In chapter six of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, Harper Lee cleverly uses a variety of literary techniques and devices to create tension prior to the shooting. This essay discusses the language devices used and its effectiveness on the reader of the text. The techniques that Harper Lee predominately used in chapter six include short sentences and also dramatic and effective words. The author was also very descriptive whilst describing the setting, which is essential in building tension. Harper Lee was also telling the reader what the character was thinking.

First of all, short and staccato sentences were used by the author to create tension. An example of this is when Jem says ‘Spit on it.’ As they were trying to trespass into the house, the trio had to go through a gate. As Jem tried opening the gate, it squeaked. Therefore, Jem wanted Dill and Scout to spit on the hinges so that the gate will stop squeaking. The content of the sentence already suggests and indicates to the readers that Jem is anxious of being discovered for his rash act of trespassing into property. Additionally, short sentences are effective in building tension because it paces up the story as a lot of dramatic events are able to happen at the same time. Short sentences are juxtaposed to long sentence because the descriptive and complicated adjectives of the latter imply a much more relaxed atmosphere to the reader. Short sentences are effective and reflective of the dramatic scene portrayed.

Secondly, the author also used dramatic and