Figurative Language in TKMB

Have you ever known anyone who said, "Guess what my house told me today?"  You would probably look at them like they were crazy.  We know that inanimate objects do not breathe; therefore they can not be considered dead.  If this is true why do so many authors apply human characteristics to objects?  Giving objects human traits creates an effect which brings the "writing to life", which causes readers to connect to the story.  

In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird,  this type of figurative language can be found, "Mr. Radley's older son lived in Pensacola; he came home at Christmas,and he was one of the few people we ever saw enter or leave the place. From the day Mr. Radley took Arthur home,people say the house died." (Lee 12).  This quote exemplifies personification.  The house can not die; it was never living.  Houses do not breathe, so, therefore; they can not die.  The phrase means no one "lived" in the house, and the house become rotten, eroded, and unkept.  The house was void of activity, and was looked upon as empty, although inhabitants were present. This example of figurative language creates the author's tone; the Radley house is viewed as a depressing, "lifeless" place in the neighborhood.  By creating this picture, the mood of eeriness and mystery is set for the reader.  Many instances are created like this one throughout To Kill A Mockingbird.

Another example of figurative language can be found on page , "

" (Lee  ).



In order to enable an audience to connect to a literary piece, an author uses many writing techniques and strategies; figurative language is one of the many.  Figurative language relays the author's tone, while setting the mood for the reader.  This language is full of inferences and implications, which cause the reader to add to the story, and feel a part of the book, as they read.  Getting lost in a book, sometimes not wanting to be found--this is what the author hopes happens to the reader when the pages of the literary work are brought to life.