Is Boo Radley Innocent

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Boo Radley is innocent even though he murdered Bob Ewell. He may have murdered a man, but he did this to save Scout and Jem Finch from being killed. Boo Radley has been portrayed as an evil man who does cruel things such as poisoning pecans, eat people’s pets and stab his father’s leg with scissors. He was under house arrest to keep his innocence, but people’s rumors and lies made stories of his horrific nature behind the window. "Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows" (Lee 9). Society’s rumors tried to break at Radley’s walls of innocence in which he has not sinned, but held the accusations of such …show more content…

Boo Radley has been nothing less than a mockingbird who makes music. Even knowing that in the first few years of the book, he was the Finch kids’ entertainment in a rude way, he still stretched out his compassion to do little small nice things for the kids. He practically watched them grow up behind his window as they explored his yard, played, and matured into understanding and compassionate children. On Halloween, after the town’s pageant, a barefoot eight-year-old Scout and her thirteen-year-old brother were walking home in the dark. However, really soon, Jem, Scout’s brother, began hearing rustling and noticed that there was someone behind them. Thinking that their company was just Cecil, Scout’s classmate, they played along with the prank attempt. Pretty soon, however, their company began running and in her chunky ham costume with chicken wire, Scout fell. As Jem came to her rescue, he hit his head on the pavement and they were defenseless until out of nowhere, their attacker was jerked upwards and groaning in pain. Catching a glimpse at their attacker, Scout saw a man with stubble on his chin with breath smelling of stale whiskey. However, after Heck, the county officer, reported back saying that, “‘Bob Ewell’s lyin’ on the ground under that tree down yonder with a kitchen knife stuck up under his ribs. He’s dead, Mr. Finch (Lee …show more content…

Heck examined the crime scene and played out the scenario, he concluded that, “‘Bob Ewell meant business.’” Atticus added that, “‘He was out of his mind’”, but Heck responded that, “‘Low down skunk with enough liquor in him to make him brave enough to kill your children’” (Lee 269). Under the influence of alcohol, Ewell has the ability to slaughter both children in cold-blood for his hatred. It has become quite possible that Ewell was also mentally ill which led him to do very cruel actions. If Boo Radley hadn’t stepped in, the children would have been murdered harshly and without defenses. Boo Radley is still the mockingbird who stepped in as the hero to save two very important parts of our future. Also, a black boy is dead because of Bob Ewell and “‘Let the dead bury the dead this time’” (Lee

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