In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, children Jem and Scout Finch live in Maycomb County, Alabama, surrounded by a complex cast of characters that are prone to bigotry. This greatly shapes the ideals and morals of the two as they mature. Both of the children change a great deal throughout the novel, making it easy to observe their changing views. Catalysts to this change include their open-minded father, Atticus, prone to spouting wisdom to his children, helping them to apply compassion in their lives. Jem and Scout grow substantially by learning lessons of gradual acceptance, their beliefs, attitudes, and views of society changing in spite of the hate-filled world they live in. An important part of Scout and Jem’s process of growing up …show more content…
involves them developing more informed opinions of others.
Character Arthur “Boo” Radley is a social pariah widely viewed by the citizens of Maycomb county as a monster and a recluse that never leaves his home due to his troubled past and abusive family. When the character Dill, a boy who spends summers in Maycomb county asks about the mystery that is Boo Radley, the children inform him of how the community views him: “Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo… he dined on raw squirrels… There was a long jagged scar across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten” (Lee 16). Scout and Jem live in a particularly tight-knit community. Given this, everybody knows everybody and has made assumptions based on the town’s gossip. The minds of children are impressionable, leaving even Jem and Scout to form negative opinions. Through the course of the novel Arthur Radley proves himself to be a guardian towards the children, proving their previous assumptions wrong. After Atticus reads Scout a short story about the “Ghost Boy”, Scout talks about the main …show more content…
character- a boy who many thought to be evil- with Atticus, showing incredible similarities to Boo Radley’s developed character: “Atticus, he was real nice…” His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them” ( Lee 376). One can read between the lines in this passage- this might be referring to a book character, but clearly insinuates that this message applies to Mr. Arthur Radley. He was victimized for his differences, yet Scout moves past that. Because she has seen how the differences of others don’t necessarily make them monsters- despite humanity’s capacity for evil- people can often turn out to be “real nice”. Showcased in this novel is Jem’s gradual transition into manhood, him developing from a pugnacious young boy into a more mature teenager.
Igniting this change is their older neighbor Mrs. Dubose- hateful, racist, and constantly slinging slurs at Jem’s father. Jem hates her himself, and cannot contain his anger towards her. For example, when introducing Mrs. Dubose’s judgmental character for the first time, introducing their discontent: “Jem and I hated her. If she was on the porch when we passed, we would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to a ruthless interrogation regarding our behavior… We could do nothing to please her” (Lee 132). Scout and Jem only know certain aspects of Mrs. Dubose’s personality, only the outward negative appearance. While she is being judgmental, the children reciprocate. After Atticus observes this hatred, he makes Jem read to her until her death. After her death, Atticus explains how Mrs. Dubose was truly brave, battling through a morphine addiction for many years: “I wanted you to see something about her… to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (Lee 149). Despite the prejudice and hate that Mrs. Dubose shows, Atticus brings attention to other aspects of her personality. The negative things that people say might be horrible, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be
treated with respect, and it doesn’t mean that that’s all they have to offer. Despite the bigotry and the hate that surrounds Jem and Scout, there is only love. This ultimately sets Jem towards being a young man, despite his previous childish pugnacity.
Boo Radley, also known as Arthur Radley, is the scary, evil creature that lives in the creepy old house down the street from Jem and Scout, and is misjudged at first. Jem and Scout, two main characters, first see Boo as some sort of scary monster. Jem described him in the first chapter as “...six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks...” and said “...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...” Jem also mentioned Boo had 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.” Scout and Jem also call Boo a “...malevolent phantom...” As if that isn't bad enough, the kids hear and tell horrible stories about Boo. One is of how he stabbed his dad with a pair of scissors; another tells how he was locked up in the courthouse basement. Even with such a grisly initial perception at the beginning of...
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
Boo Radley is a recluse. He never leaves his house. This leaves everyone in Maycomb County to imagine things about him. Boo Radley is sort of a timeline of growing up. He starts off as just a figment of the children’s imaginations, but at the end of the book, he reveals himself as a real person. All of the children’s ideas prove to be false. He is also a symbol of the good within people. After living in a box for a great part of his life, Boo Radley has the decency to give gifts to Jem and Scout. He even saves their lives in the end. The book ends with Atticus reading a book called The Gray Ghost.
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...
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
Despite cultures and conflicts, the fundamental bonds remain: We all belong to a common family. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a timeless classic about coming of age in a small southern town in the 1930’s. The book follows Jem and Scout, two siblings, who must face the harsh realities of life. Hypocrisy and racism together make the two most important themes.
Growing up in Maycomb, Southern Alabama in the 1930s was not an easy thing. Amid a town of prejudice and racism, stood a lone house where equality and respect for all gleamed like a shining star amid an empty space. The house of Atticus Finch was that shining star. Jean Louise Finch, also known as “Scout”, is given the opportunity of being raised in this house by her father, Atticus. I stole this essay from the net. As she grows, Atticus passes down his values of equality and righteousness to Scout and her brother Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as “Jem”. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, we see Scout learns many lessons about dealing with prejudice by observing the behavior of other characters in the story.
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
Racism presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. Some are blatant and open, but others are more insidious. One obvious way that racism presents itself is in the result of Tom Robinson’s trial. Another apparent example is the bullying Jem and Scout had to endure as a result of Atticus’s appointment as Tom Robinson’s defense attorney. A less easily discernible case is the persecution of Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who chose to live his life in close relation with the colored community.
The novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a simplistic view of life in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. An innocent but humorous stance in the story is through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout is a young adolescent who is growing up with the controversy that surrounds her fathers lawsuit. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, with the charge of raping a white girl. The lives of the characters are changed by racism and this is the force that develops during the course of the narrative.
Throughout the novel, Atticus’ assistance to Jem and Scout’s development becomes evident. Atticus takes every opportunity to attempt to teach his children the importance of having an open-mind. For instance, when Scout queries Atticus about Maycomb’s prejudice perspective, he tells her, “You never really understand a person until…you climb in their skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 30) Even during the early stages of the novel, it is apparent that Atticus endeavors to instill the values of empathy and tolerance within Jem and Scout by teaching them how to have multiple perspectives on a situation. In addition, Atticus also attempts to enlighten his children about peaceful resolution in society. For example, when Atticus is chosen to defend Tom Robinson, Atticus tells Scout, you might hear some ugly talk about it at school but…you just hold your head high and keep those fists down.”...
The Radley family has a presence that startles nearly all of Maycomb County in some way. For example, every resident of Maycomb County would never set foot in even the Radley house yard. However, this was not the case for protagonist Scout Finch and her brother Jem. This show of bravery represents outstanding courage. Moreover, the main area of fear of the Radley family is provided by Boo. Boo is the child of the family, and is rumored to eat grotesque foods such as live rats. Although very few people had ever seen Boo, nobody dared to search for him. That is, except for Scout and Jem. Despite being terrified of what Boo could be, Jem and Scout searched tirelessly for him. Even after their father forbid them to search for Boo, Jem and Scout would not be denied and searched for him anyways. The courage shown by the young children in this novel is good.
Throughout the novel, the character Boo Radley was misunderstood. His true identity was masked by his longing to be alone. The town of Maycomb did not truly understand why he chose to live separate from the world. No matter, the people of Maycomb had no right to ruin his innocent personality with horrendous stories. Scout and Jem’s curiosity and wild imagination, plus the inconceivable stories that Miss Stephanie told helped carry on the the myth of Boo Radley. Truly, the reality of Arthur was too hard for the children to accept, they could not believe that a person was happy alone, so they in his absence, they developed the character Boo.
By exposing issues surrounding prejudice, individuals are challenged to alter their ideals, promoting change in societies. Both Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird and Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poem Son of Mine raise ideas of bigotry that possess the ability to inspire societies to become more inclusive. Through exploring the transformative capacity of innocence, injustice and hope, composers allow the audience an alternative insight into prejudice.
Who is Arthur “Boo” Radley? After reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Boo Radley could easily be seen as the neighborhood pedophile who stalks the very young Finch children Jem and Jean Louise “Scout.” However Boo Radley is the backbone of the novel's central ideas showing Scout's character development and growth in perception and understanding. Scout’s changing conception of Boo Radley throughout the novel drives the main theme of exploration of the moral nature of human beings.