Think you know Boo Radley? Not many people do. Boo Radley is a shy, mysterious character from Harper Lee’s: To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the book, Boo is thought of as a monster within the book’s setting of Maycomb County. He’s also known to be mentally ill and violent due to many stories about his past. However, I believe he’s just misunderstood. Boo Radley is actually a caring and courageous human being. Examples that benefit this idea include: Boo Radley giving gifts to Scout and Jem and saving Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell. Furthermore, throughout To Kill a Mockingbird; Boo Radley is shown to be misunderstood, caring, and courageous. First off, Boo is shown to be misunderstood broadly throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. For example, …show more content…
Among the many plots within the story, many of them surround Boo Radley or attempting to have Boo Radley come out of his house. In these stories show Jem, Scout, and Dill are terrified of the Radley house and what be inside. However, they are mistaken, for Boo Radley wants to do the exact opposite of scaring the children. For example, Boo tries to show friendship to Scout and Jem by leaving them gifts in the tree outside of his house. These gifts include dolls, gum, a knife, a watch, etc. Boo also is thought to have wrapped Scout in a blanket during the chapter in which Miss Maudie’s house had burned down. Boo Radley is thought to have done it because Atticus says “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.” (Lee 96) supporting the fact that Boo Radley was looking out for Scout. Lastly, Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem when they were attacked by Bob Ewell. This heroic effort was not only full of care, but also, full of …show more content…
Other than the fact that he stayed in his house for nearly his whole house, he gives many good examples to follow. Selflessness, bravery, and friendship are only a few qualities that Boo Radley shares that we could learn from. When he gave gifts to Scout and Jem, protected them, and fought his own fears when leaving his house suggests that people have the wrong idea about the man originally named Arthur. Maybe he isn’t a violent monster that everyone claims him to be. On the last page of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout says when telling of a boy who was also misunderstood like Arthur, “An’ they chased him ‘n’ never could catch him’ cause they didn’t know what he looked like, an’ Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things… Atticus, he was real nice…” in which Atticus replies, “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” (Lee 376). The author puts this dialogue on the last page of To Kill a Mockingbird for a reason. To send a memorable message to the reader. A message to never judge and to always have sympathy like Boo
Throughout the book we watch the narrator, Scout Finch, go from a naive first grader that think Maycomb is the best place out there, to finally maturing and understanding the world around her. Throughout the book Scout is impressioned by so many people that Boo Radley is a monster that should be kept in at all times. Later we learn he isn’t, but one of the first impressions we get from him is a brute
When the children were given toy guns for Christmas from their uncle, Atticus tells them that is a sin to kill a mockingbird, because mockingbirds are innocent creatures that only make pretty music and do not harm anything. Boo Radley is shown throughout the story as a gentile man when he covers Scout up with a blanket the night she was waiting on the sidewalk for the fire burning from Miss Maudie’s house to be put out. He also leaves the children presents in the knothole and saves their lives when Bob Ewell tries to kill them. His bad reputation comes from the idea that all people who isolate themselves from their communities are horrible, violent people who need to be shut off from everyone for their own safety, when in reality we are left to guess that he detaches himself from Maycomb because of some form of social anxiety or dislike of socializing. The comparison of him to a mockingbird is prominent at the end of the book, when Heck Tate is explaining to Atticus that it was Boo who killed Bob Ewell, and not Jem. He tells him that it would be best to pretend that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife because sharing the actual story would bring Boo into the spotlight, which Scout compares to being a sin as bad as killing a mockingbird. Tom Robinson also represents a Mockingbird because he is just as innocent as one. During the time when Mayella and Bob
Boo Radley is seen as an outcast. He is characterized by stereotypes and rumors. People assume that he is a bad guy, because of a mistake he made in the past. Rumors are passed on to children like Scout, Jem and Dill about Boo Radley that scare them to go near him. “Boo wasn't crazy, he was just high strung at times, it was alright to shut him up” (Lee 15). Mr.Radley said. Boo Radley did not act like everyone else but wasn't a crazy freak, so Mr.Radley thought it would be okay to sustain him in thehouse. Since his dad characterized him as high strung people just assume what he is like. Boo Radley never had a chance to show people what he was like he was portrayed as the bad guy by his dad, Boo is victimized by people because he can't stand up for himself so therefore he is considered the “bad guy”. Throughout the remainder of the book Boo shows his honest self when he leaves gifts for Scout and Jem, when he puts a blanket over Scout, and specially when he saves Scout and Jem from Mr.Ewell. It is obvious that he is a nice person and just wants to help, but of course his so...
According to To Kill a Mockingbird, two characters, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, share appealing connections with each other throughout the book. I was astonished to realize at the end of the book that Radley and Robinson both are misjudged by the town of Maycomb, Alabama, without any justifications or reasons. I also realized from analyzing and reading the two stories conveys similar connections to our own social lives and culture of how people like Radley or Robinson were misjudged by their appearance and status. In the text, Boo Radley was misjudged from conspiracies and rumors that the kids- Jem, Scout, and Dill mention. The kids actually believe about these rumors that Boo Radley or Arthur was a ghost figure who never coming out from his
But Boo tends to be a misunderstood character, just like the mockingbird. In chapter 28, when Jem and Scout were walking back home from school, they took the shortcut which happened to be pitch black. Jem heard a sound which alerted them. At first Jem thought it was Cecil Jacobs (a boy who liked to pull jokes on Jem and Scout), but then they realized it was someone else. They heard footsteps running after them to find that it was a grown man. Jem called out to Scout to run but she fell due to her costume.When Scout finally got back up to find Jem, the man squeezed her until she could barely breathe. Worriedly, Scout called out for Jem but didn’t get a response. She saw two men underneath the tree besides Jem and herself. She called out “Atticus?” but there was no answer once again. She noticed a man laying the ground that had the awful essence of booze, she got up and made her way over the road, and within the light of the street lamp Scout sees a man carrying Jem. The man headed towards the Finch house, where Atticus let him in. Scout eventually realized that “the man” was no other than Mr. Arthur or commonly referred to as Boo Radley. Mr. Arthur, despite his poor perception of
In the case of Scout and Jem, they believed that Boo Radley, who is an outcast of Maycomb, possesses a horrific appearance, and that he is a savage, "he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained." However, as the story progresses, it is revealed that Boo is actually a kind-hearted person who has not done anybody wrong, but unfortunately, he was ruined by the hands of his family. Thus, Boo is an example of a mockingbird, as mentioned by Atticus. The disclosing of the character of Boo demonstrates Scout and Jem's loss of innocence. They can no longer see Boo as a mysterious threat in their life, instead they saw Boo as a person. "...he's crazy..but Atticus I swear to God he ain't ever harmed us, he coulda cut my throat...but he mend my pants instead..." In a way, Boo serves as a symbol of the transition of Scout and Jem's maturity, as the kids exhibit their ability to empathize with
Boo Radley is the next door neighbor of the Finch’s. He is an outsider of the community, because he does not leave the house. He got in some trouble as a teenager, so his father locked him up inside the house. After his father died, his brother moved in with him. While Boo was locked up inside is house, the people of Maycomb County made up stories about him. The legend of Boo Radley was well-known to the people of Maycomb. Jem describes Boo, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” (Lee ). Boo is an innocent character because all he does stay inside his own house, and does not bother anybody. Yet the entire town believes that he could be a murderer. Harper Lee is showing that if you do not fit into southern society, they will make you into an outsider and a bad legend. Another example of Boo Radley being an innocent character is when he gives a blanket to Scout. Miss Maudie Atkinson, one of the Finch’s neighbors, had a house fire. Atticus (Scout and Jem’s father) woke up the kids and made them go outside, in case the fire spread to their house. While Scout was not looking someone gave her a blanket, “‘Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.’ ‘Thank who?’ I asked. ‘Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.’”(Lee ). Boo Radley is an innocent character because he helped warm up Scout in the cold, yet Scout was still scared that Boo had been near here. Harper Lee is showing us that Boo could do a nice thing, and yet Scout would still be scared because of his reputation. Finally, another
You hardly ever seen anyone get close to the Radley gate and the children stayed as far away as they could, but after accidentally rolling a tire into the Radley gate, when trying to get Jem to retrieve it Scout exclaimed, “Go on inside, it’s not that far.” Jem was panic-stricken and seem to be walking on cold feet by thinking that Boo’d come out and get him or something. No one had ever went that close to the Radley’s house because it seemed to be a near death experience. The night Miss Maudie’s house caught on fire, Jem and Scout were standing in front of the Radley gate in the cold, and later discovered there was a blanket placed on Scout. “Boo Radley,” said Atticus. The thought of almost being able to see Boo for the first time intrigued her. Scout seems be in a daze since she came that close to Boo, but also seems to wonder how he did it. He was the type of person to blow one’s mind.
Boo Radley is thought to be a malevolent, soulless, deceitful person, but he proves to be a caring, good-natured person. In Chapter 1, Jem offers his perception of Boo Radley to Scout and Dill: " ‘Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time’ " (16). Jem perceives Boo Radley as being a “monster” instead of being a man. Jem comes to this conclusion despite having never even seen Boo Radley in person. Jem’s understanding of Boo Radley is based on the rumors that he has heard about him. In Chapter 8, after the fire at Miss Maudie’s house, Scout notices that she was wrapped in a blanket that she did not have with she left the house. Scout asks Atticus who was the person that put the blanket around her. Atticus tells Scout, "Boo Radley. You were so busy watching the fire you didn't know it when he...
Boo Radley lives alone and doesn’t do anything to anyone, and doesn’t bother anybody. He minds his own business and it would be "a sin" to do anything that would disturb him. He is not the bad, mean, squirrel eating guy that the town thinks he is. He is not what Maycomb thinks he is and actually saves Jem and Scout from being killed. "Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time... it's because he wants to stay inside” (304). Jem said this to Scout because he knows why he wants to stay inside. Having seen everything that has been going on in Maycomb Boo chooses to stay out of all of the evil and doesn’t harm anybody. When Boo see the kids being attacked by Bob Ewell he is the innocence that fights the evil and Boo kills him. Mr. Heck Tate tries to tell Atticus that Mr. Ewell fell on his knife and killed himself. He implies that Boo stabbed him. Atticus needed to be cheered up because he didn’t know what to do. So Scout kissed him and said, “Wel...
Boo Radley is first introduced as a mysterious monster-like man that doesn’t leave his house, but the truth is later revealed. Boo’s backstory was one of a misunderstood teen that hung around the wrong crowd d out the truth with a strict father. Boo was preyed upon by a couple of boys that led him to get into trouble and then seen as a creepy shameful man although he was just a harmless mentally ill person. Boo was very reclusive and possibly autistic. This explains why his father was so protective, also why he was very shy never left his house because he could be socially awkward. Boo’s possible undiagnosed autism and lack of knowledge of mental illness
Boo Radley was a white man that no one hardly ever seen or knew. Everyone thought he was mean, and crazy. Scout narrates “As Mr.Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parents leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants and resumed his activities(11). The story was not true, but that’s what everyone thought of when they talked about Boo Radley. Boo Radley was actually the exact opposite of what people thought of him to be. Jem and Scout would find little things in an old tree, and they had realized that Boo Radley was the one who was leaving them things. Also when Jem pants was tangled on the fence, he left and came back to try and pry them off and they were neatly folded across the fence, untangled. Lots of people stereotyped him to be something that he’s not, which means he’s a mockingbird because he is nothing but
...l along Boo just wanted to have someone to call a friend because of suffering from lonesome. Even though he may have been involved in the fires and other acts he did in Maycomb he was not like what anyone said a bout being a nocturnal monster or a heartless person. Boo was a normal human being living in his own world for the longest time till he broke out of his shell when Scout and him met on Halloween night. The Change that happens in the Radley house is dramatic Boo goes for being the towns "night phantom" to being a Hero in the end. Lastly how did Scout have the courage to walk up to the Radley's porch was because Scout believed Boo to be a big hero for what he had done. Another reason Scout had walked with Boo home was to go see Jem who was there from when Boo carried him from the fight that night back home. Scout saw Boo as a positive at the end of the story.
He gets over his fear of the community of Maycomb County and does what is right and just. Boo is completely aware of the rumours about him, yet he continues to be a kind, selfless man who expects nothing in return for his generosity. “ ‘Thank you,’ I asked. The ‘Boo Radley’ is a.
To Kill a Mockingbird, the actions of Maycomb County citizens during the harsh times of the 1930’s show that any given person, regardless of race or societal status, should be worthy of compassion. These principles are demonstrated in the story by the Cunninghams, While he doesn’t play a role in the largest events of the story, he has crucial moments of humaneness in his interactions with the Finch children. Boo’s interactions in the story are kept quiet for the first portion of the book, while the children are obsessed with finding him or getting him to come out of the Radley house. During a fire at Miss Maudie’s house, Scout finds herself with a blanket suddenly over her shoulders, not knowing where it came from. When she told Atticus, he mentions that they are in front of the Radley house, so it was most likely Boo that gave her the blanket (76).