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To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 12 Analysis

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In Chapter 12 of Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many events and situations in which irony is used to support the theme of the chapter. An example of this is in the very beginning of the chapter, when Scout is concerned about how distant and moody Jem is acting, and asks Atticus, “’Reckon he’s got a tapeworm?’” (Lee 153), to which Atticus replies no, and that Jem is growing. This is dramatic irony because the readers understand that Jem is acting oddly because he’s growing, but Scout doesn’t know this until she asks Atticus about it. This quote supports the theme of Chapter 12 by showing when Jem started to grow distance from Scout, getting aggravated with her and telling her to stop bothering him, and shows how the children …show more content…

It is our church, ain’t it Miss Cal?’” (Lee 158), and this quote is an example of situation irony because in this time period we expect whites to be racist to African-Americans, but in this quote it’s the other way around. The theme is supported in this because when the people of the church tell them that they don’t belong at the church, it’s like a slap to the face. It brings Jem and Scout to the harsh reality that they’re very segregated and that in situations like this they’re going to be treated like adults, regardless of the fact that they’re still both young. Childhood innocence is lost here because Scout and Jem are going to be treated like adults in events like these, and that no matter what they’ve done, they’re going to be treated like white adults that have treated these African-Americans poorly because of segregation during this time period. These are three examples of irony that support the theme in Chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird, which is that Scout and Jem are losing their innocence from childhood, and that soon they both have to start growing

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