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The symbolism of the mockingbird
Innocence in american literature
The relationship to innocence
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Boo Radley has been treated like a criminal in Maycomb for a long time. In the end of the novel, Scout realizes that the town has been wrong. The town perceives him to be a crazy and dangerous man, although the fact is that Boo is just a recluse who prefers to be alone. When Scout realizes this, she starts to treat him like everyone else, and shows him by saying, “You can pet him Mr. Arthur, he's asleep...Boo's hand came down lightly on Jem's hair...I led him to the front porch, where his uneasy steps halted...” (Lee 278). When Lee writes the words 'hovered', 'lightly', and 'uneasy', she illustrates that Boo is an example of innocence, who has been bedeviled by their town for so long, that he feels reticent and uneasy in public. Scout tries to revive Boo emotionally, by walking with him to his house, and thinks back to what Boo has done for her, “Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good lucky pennies, and our life...we had given him nothing, and it made me sad” (Lee 278). Harper Lee specifically uses the words 'nothing' to emphasize how guilty and disappointed Scout is feeling, since Boo has been very generous in the past, and has gotten nothing in return. The fact that everybody has been harming him emotionally, even though he has done nothing to deserve it, leaves Scout feeling sympathetic. Boo has been put out to be a crazy and horrible man for so long, the town doesn't recognize him as a human being anymore. Boo Radley represents a mockingbird because he has always been harmless and innocent, however, the town persecutes him, making him an undeserving victim of the town's injustice.
Tom Robinson is an African American man who is accused of rape and is sentenced to many years i...
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...e doesn't yet understand the world's prejudiced attribute. The word 'any' is used to make the audience feel Jem's confidence, because he has so much faith, that he almost believes that it is impossible to lose this trial. However, when the jury comes out with their conclusion, Jem loses faith in humanity, “I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each 'guilty' was a separate stab between them” (Lee 211). The author uses the word 'gripping' because she is accenting his anxiousness, and it is as if he is gripping to the last of his faith in the people of Maycomb and the last of his innocence. Lee's words creates an image inside the audience's head, where they can see Jem's hurt face and his innocence fading away. Jem is a mockingbird because after experiencing the trial, his innocence was taken away from him.
This excerpt depicts that Scout understands how turning in Boo for doing a good deed would be comparable to that of killing a mockingbird. Killing a mockingbird in these times was considered a sin due to the fact that they were completely harmless. This relates to the topic sentence because Scout compares Boo to a mockingbird, more specifically she compares the innocence of the two. She sees that a mockingbird does nothing except make music, similarly to Boo who does nothing except mind his own business and in the end save the Finch kids and the town from the burden of Mr.Ewell. Neither of the creatures cause any harm to anyone, so they should not be punished for their simple ways.
A Major Role in The Novel "To Kill a Mockingbird": Boo Radley A person that was stuck behind bars for most of his life escapes and saves the lives of two innocent children. Boo Radley, whose real name is Mr. Arthur, is like a prisoner in his own home because he is afraid to face the real world. Boo Radley plays a major role in the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" because he acts like a second father to the children. He does this by creating a strong bond with the children, he saves Jem and Scout's lives and he is like a mockingbird to the children. Boo Radley shows us how a complete stranger can become your best friend in a single moment.
Throughout the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee likes to foreshadow the character's traits such as Boo Radley. Even though Atticus’ children, Jem and Scout, believe in the superstitions about him, they get a glimpse of his character through specific parts of the book. The children realize that Boo Radley is not a bad individual at all, he actually cares about them. Since he shows so much care for the children, the reader is not surprised when Boo Radley “saves” the children at the end of the novel.
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
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 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
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
In the beginning of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout Finch is a good-hearted, innocent five-year-old who has no experience with the evils of the world. However, throughout the novel, Scout has her first contact with the evils of the world in the form of prejudice. Arthur “Boo” Radley — one of the two cases — is a harmless human-being who falls victim to this evilness. Regarded as an evil person, Boo is the “ghost” of Maycomb and is used as the scapegoat for anything bad which happens. However, growing up in the house of Atticus Finch, Scout learns that humanity is evil at times, but there is also a lot of good humanity has to offer. Not only is there good, but what may seem evil at the time, if approached with an outlook
Tom Robinson should not have tried to escape prison for three reasons. He would not have lost his life, he would have proven himself innocent, and he would have made a statement of how it’s wrong how white people treated black people.
...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.
First impressions of people are often lasting impressions, especially in the minds of children. Many times these impressions, aided by misunderstanding and prejudgment, cause unjust discrimination against an individual. To kill a Mockingbird depicts the themes of misunderstanding and prejudice that portray Arthur (Boo) Radley as a villain. Through the progressive revelation of Radley's character, the children realize that their negative impressions and fear of him were unfounded. Through gradual stages of change, from total misunderstanding of Boo, to a realization of an error in judgment, to a reevaluation followed by a change of heart, to a growing trust and acceptance of Boo, and finally to an appreciation of his true character, Jem's, Scout's, and Dill's impressions of Radley are dramatically altered.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the setting of the book is placed in a Southern town after the great depression. The title refers to an innocent, nice, respectful person, or creature that is being agonized, and Atticus says, “Remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” which means killing something innocent isn’t the right thing to do. In this novel, the mockingbird is a symbol for Boo Radley. The symbol of the mockingbird supports the theme, “People often distrust what they do not understand,” since people never seen or heard from Boo, they made rumors about him and made him out to be a bad person.
It teaches them to not be prejudice and get to know a person before making a judgement. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley, was frowned upon by many people in the Maycomb community. He was rumoured to have been locked in the basement by his father and older brother after an incident involving scissors. Though never seen stepping outside his house, he intrigues yet also frightens Scout, Jem and their friend Dill. After different events in the novel, the children come to find that Boo Radley is not intimidating, but a man who due to his father, is emotionally damaged. Miss Maudie, a neighbour of the Finch’s, explains to Scout that "Mockingbirds don 't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don 't eat up people 's gardens, don 't nest in corncribs, they don 't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That 's why it 's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The mockingbird is a symbol for innocent people, who are judged for no reason. Like the mockingbird, Boo Radley has people prejudiced against him when he is an innocent man. By using this metaphor, the reader is able to understand the link between Boo Radley and the innocence and morality. As well as the mockingbird, he also symbolises goodness. By secretly watching over Scout and Jem, he protects them from later being attacked by Bob Ewell, a symbol of evil. When Jem and Scout begin to trust Boo, they are paying the highest tribute they could pay him.
Not only was Tom falsely accused, he was also disrespected multiple times during the court case. Why do we have to deal with things this severe?When are we going to have to deal with another death of an innocent who was falsely accused? We can only rise up and raise our voices so they have no choice but to listen to our viewpoints and opinions. Each one of us are important to this community and it’s about time that we protest and show everyone how important Tom was and always will be to us. Tom Robinson was a prime example of how cruel and biased our legal system can be to not only African Americans ,but just about anyone. To the readers of the Maycomb Tribune, we are all in this together, that case affected us all ,and us voicing our opinion to the injustice of our legal system will bring us all together no matter what race, skin color, or sex each one of us are. In the future people will soon understand that “All Lives Matter” and that will forever live in each one of our hearts
What would happen if Dill, Jem, and Scout didn’t go and look for Arthur (Boo) Radley? Throughout the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Jem, Scout, and Dill build a subtle relationship with Boo. One of the reasons they have a connection is because every summer, Dill makes a plan to try and get a look at Boo Radley.