How Does Harper Lee use Irony and Humour in TKAM?

* ‘[Entailment is] a condition of having your tail in a crack.’

This is ironic, as Jem, trying to be the superior, more knowledgeable older sibling, has completely made this up. Entailment is really a legal term to describe what someone can do with his/her estate and property. The irony occurs when you see that Mr Cunningham can actually not do what he wants with his property because of entailment, in other words he is like an animal with his tail in a crack.

* ‘Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo; … he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch… there was a long jagged scar that ran across his face… his eyes popped… he drooled most of the time.’

This is humorous as it is a very childish description of something or someone, and terms like these are most commonly used to describe the evil characters in stories, or monsters, not innocent people. The fact that Scout thinks this description is ‘reasonable’ is also very funny as it shows how gullible she can be, how much she admires Jem and accepts almost everything he says, no matter how ridiculous, to be valid and true.

* ‘I told Atticus I didn’t feel very well and didn’t think I’d go to school anymore if that was all right with him.’

This is very funny as it is a very immature response to not liking school, yet expected of almost every 6 year old at some point. It is ironic though that Scout doesn’t like school because she is being told she isn’t allowed to read at home, and shouldn’t be able to read, when most children don’t like the fact they have to work at school, and cant wait to get home so they can play.

* “You mean the Morphodite?” I asked.

This is very funny as it shows Scouts innocence. Scout overheard Miss Maudie and Atticus, when they were talking about hermaphrodites. I think that this is hilarious, as Scout has misinterpreted what Atticus and Miss Maudie are talking about, and immediately assumes it is a name for the snowman.

* ‘[The] Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin….Its windows…were covered with greasy strips of cheesecloth to keep out the varmints that feasted on Maycomb’s refuse.’ And ‘ ” ‘sides devaluin’ my property-“(Mr Bob Ewell)

Shows irony because Bob Ewell is saying that the Negroes are devaluing his property by living near him, yet he makes no effort to clean his home and it is common knowledge that his house used to be inhabited by a black family.

* “Your father does not know how to teach.” (Miss Caroline)

This is ironic as Atticus actually teaches his children more (mainly moral things) than miss Caroline does and can teach them.

* “You’re getting more like a girl each day.” (Jem)

This is funny as Scout is a girl, yet she has always acted like a boy as she has grown up in an all male household (apart from Calpurnia, who isn’t as influential as her brother and father). This also shows how children see each other as just other children; and gender, race and status have extremely little/no importance.

* “You’re real nice, Uncle Jack, an’ I reckon I love you even after what you did, but you don’t understand children much.” (Scout)

This is ironic and funny as scout is teaching her uncle how to treat children, when usually the roles are reversed. It is also funny as Lee still manages to make what scout is saying sound very childlike. You see when scout ‘reckons she loves him even after what he did’ which shows that she is still very immature; as it is very childlike to ‘stop loving’ someone just because you got in a fight.

* “to our disappointment”

Their imaginations and ages are truly shown, as they are disappointed to find out that Mrs Radley had died of “natural causes”. I think this also shows how they treat the Radleys like more of a story/fictional characters than real people, and when a death like this happens, they are disappointed that the ‘story’ was not more exciting.