Arthur Boo Radley in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

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.

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.

When Scout questions the town’s viewpoint of Boo Radley, he explains that “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (Lee 30). The path of least resistance is obviously hating Boo, but Atticus knows it’s wrong to judge someone without knowing them. As a result, he encourages her to try understanding Boo instead of following the crowd and hating him based on rumors with no evidence, even when the entire town judged him without actually knowing him. Similarly, Atticus didn’t think badly of Tom Robinson because of what others were whispering, he developed his own opinion of him. Whereas the people were quick to assume Tom was guilty, Atticus looked into it more and decided he believed that Tom was innocent. That didn’t mean he had no choice but to defend him, but if he refused to help Tom, Atticus believes he “couldn’t hold [his] head up in town” (Lee 75). His integrity wouldn’t allow him to if he didn’t try and defend an innocent man, regardless of the close mindedness of everyone else. Atticus pushes through the difficulty that helping Tom would bring and does it anyway because it’s the right thing to do. He doesn’t care what the others will say and think about him, only what he’ll think of himself if he makes the wrong decision. He’ll be able to have his self-dignity, in contrast, Bob Ewell throws his own dignity to the wind when he confronts Atticus after the trial. While Ewell was cussing him out and threatening him, Atticus “didn’t bat an eye, just...stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names” (Lee 217). He let Bob Ewell disgrace himself in front of the entire community before casually strolling off, not responding to the goading. He knew it wouldn’t be acceptable to fight Ewell and by not doing so, he was honorable and followed his morals. Atticus was able to let go of any

...was there to witness this, he came to the children's aid, defending them from the hostile, and infuriated Ewell. In the process this is how Jem broke his arm, but if it weren't for Boo's presence, the outcome could have been much different. Heck Tate decides to protect Boo from becoming the topic of the towns conversations by stating that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife. That night, as Scout walked him home, she stood on the porched and realized. She was finally in his shoes, seeing the world from his perspective. From Boo Radley's porch he was able to see the world ahead of him, and every summer he was secretly the guardian of the children attempting to get a glimpse of him, watching over and protecting them all this time without any acknowledgment at all. Symbolizing that mockingbirds don't sing all the time, but when they do, it's a hym that can not be forgotten.

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

The most essential responsibility of a parent is to keep their children safe; most will not intentionally but their children in harm’s way. Harper Lee writes about a parent whose children are endangered and altered because of a decision that he makes. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch chooses to represent Tom Robinson in court, putting his children in potential danger, earning respect from numerous people surrounding him, and teaching his kids valuable life lessons; if individuals always chose to do what is right, instead of settling for the easy solution, difficulties could be often eliminated.

Boo Radley shows courage in one major way, and that was on the night that Bob Ewell attacked Jem and Scout Finch. This man had never come out of his house. He was “known” for being a horrible person and everybody was scared of him. Boo was an innocent man. He never did anything to anybody, yet people still treated him like he was nothing. If you were placed in Boo Radley’s situation, how would you feel? Not so great would you? You wouldn’t want to leave your house. What would make you want to help the people that were saying horrible things about you? Probably nothing. But something struck Boo the night of the attack. Jem and Scout could have died that night. Boo left the comfort of his house that night to save Jem and Scout. If Boo didn’t have courage he would have stayed in his house.

Bob proves himself to be very cowardly. He doesn't think before making his actions. As a result of this he tried to kill Atticus' children, Jem and Scout. As they were walking home from the Halloween pageant, Bob came out and tried to kill them. Bob got what he deserved when Boo Radley, a neighbor who hides his identity, came out and saved the children, killing Bob. Atticus and Sheriff Tate, the officer of Maycomb, proved to be fair and told Maycomb that Bob fell on his knife to help Boo from public recognition.

Near the end of the book, Bob Ewell was trying to kill Jem and Scout because he wanted to get his revenge against Atticus. Mr. Tate, Atticus, and Scout had figured out Boo Radley was the one who was protecting the children and killed Bob Ewell. They figured it would not be right to bring Boo and his shy ways into a courtroom to plead not guilty. Especially since he did it out of good, protecting Jem and Scout, giving them life. At the end of chapter 30, Atticus tells Scout, “‘Scout. Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?’ . . . . ‘Yes sir, I understand. Mr. Tate was right.’ Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?’” (Lee 370). This quote represents how everyone felt it would be immoral to punish Boo for protecting the children and what is left of their innocence from the evils of the world. It is like saying, these children do not need their innocence anymore, which is untrue because that is what needs to be defended the most. Boo did nothing but a great service to Atticus and Maycomb County, so punishing him would be like destroying the shield of these children. In conclusion, it is sinful to harm those who only

Boo Radley and Tom Robinson come from very different backgrounds. Both face similar stories of prejudice and unfair judgments. These men faced some of the same hardships throughout their lives. Boo and Tom are both good men who were put down because they are considered “different” than others in the town. Scout learns important lessons from the way the people in town treat Boo and Tom. The title of the book To Kill A Mockingbird takes on different meanings as the author tells the story of these two men from the south.