Analytical Essay - To Kill a Mockingbird - A Question, A Thesis, Some Phrases

QUESTION:

How has the author used language/stylistic features -  words, phrases, dialogue - to construct a character as a social outsider so that readers are positioned to feel sympathy for that character.

SUGGESTED THESIS:

The reader does not initially feel sympathy for the character Boo Radley, but through the author's use of language and events, the reader is positioned to change his/her perspective to one of sympathy.

USEFUL PHRASES:

• Boo Radley wears an aura of mystery because of Harper Lee's language.
• At the beginning of the novel, Boo Radley is constructed as an 'outsider' through the children's perspectives. He is described thus: as 'a monster', 'he eats cats', 'he haunts the neighbourhood'.
• After he saves the children's lives, he is portrayed as 'innocent', 'gentle', 'kind', 'protective of children.'
• The reader's perspective of Boo Radley changes through the events in the novel.
• The author allows the reader to see Boo Radley as the 'malevolent' figure, a picture painted by the words of the children, Jem, Scout and Dill.
• This changes the reader's position as the author creates sympathy for a man previously seen as an 'outsider'.