In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, through a child's eyes Haper Lee develops a character named Arthur Radley. Arthur is know to the children simply as Boo . The name they have given him, depicts the way the children views him. Throughout the town of Maycomb, people twisted Boo’s personality and character into a terrible person. As the novel unfolds, the children finally discover the true character of Boo. But, because Arthur Radley lived in the shadows of society, the creation of the myth of the monster Boo Radley thrived. One of the reasons for the mysteriousness of Arthur Radley leads to Miss Stephanie, who filled the children's heads with numerous, false tales. The children's minds are soiled with the idea that Boo looked like a horrible monster. This idea was rendered from Miss Stephanie who, in the novel, is the town gossip. She has told Jem plenty of times how Boo looks. “Jem gave a reasonable description of 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 was the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellowed and rotten; his eyes popped and he drooled most of the time”(Lee, 13). This image of Boo was permanently etched in the children’s minds. Every time they were around the Radley house all they could think of was the six-feet-tall monster in there. Of course, Arthur did not really look like that, but any child with an imagination could not dispose of this image. The town was filled with the rumors of dangerous Boo Radley. Everyone had heard the stories of him being violent and dangerous. Jem tells the other children about a story he heard from Miss Stephanie Crawford. He explains that one day Boo was cutting some information from Maycombs newspaper to paste in his scrapbook. Then, when his father entered the room, Boo stabbed him with the scissors. Boo drove them right into his leg. Then he returned to his activities like nothing happened(Lee,11). The children always remembered how dangerous he was. They always had to observe the house from a distance, making sure that there was no way they could get injured. Maycomb never liked Boo’s father, Mr. Radley. He was very strict person, in... ... middle of paper ... ... actually emerging from his home. Atticus asks Scout if she understands anything Mr. Tate and he were talking about. He tells her that Jem did not kill Mr. Ewell and that Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Scout maturely responds that Mr. Tate was right. She says it would be kind of like shooting a mockingbird. By this comparison, she shows actually how innocent Boo Radley is (Lee,276). Arthur had lived in his house for over 30 years, he enjoyed his seclusion and wanted it to stay that way. 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.
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.
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 social standing and past is the only thing people can see.... ... middle of paper ... ...
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
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
They have many misconceptions of people, places, and concerts in Maycomb county. However as they are young and don't really have opinions themselves. They abide by those presented them. At the start of the novel Scout and Jem see Mr. Arthur Radley or "Boo", as a dangerous, crazy, and rather isolated man. Although never being in his presence or in association with him they always make assumptions about him. They constantly pestered his household and played games that mocked him, "..time to play Boo's big scene...steal the scissors...Jem would fake plunge into Dill's thigh..."(LEE40).They also had the misconception that Boo was kept inside forcefully by his family. Boo was also blamed for unresolved events. As time goes by they mature and start to develop more of an understanding of Boo, "..I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in his house all this time...he wants to stay inside"(LEE227). Jem develops an understanding as to why Boo Radley stays inside. It's not because his family forces him to stay inside. He realizes that when living in a town like Maycomb, there is an incredible amount of judgement and labeling that occurs. It becomes evident to him that Boo has no place and isn't welcomed into the society. Especially with having a stereotype "glued" to his identity. Scout then has an
The actions the black characters in the novel To kill a Mockingbird perfectly demonstrates how to act justly. Calpurnia was one of the characters who acted justly. When Calpurnia brings Jem Finch and Scout Finch to her church, Lula, another member of the First Purchase Church congregation tells Calpurnia, the housekeeper of Atticus Finch that she "ain’t got not business bringin’ white chillum here… it’s our church ain’t it Miss Cal?" (Lee,) Lula is saying that the First Purchase Church is a church for black people only, meaning the white people are not allowed. When Calpurnia brings Jem and Scout to "their" church, Lula is upset because Jem and Scout are white, so she was not pleased to see them there. However, when Calpurnia hears her prejudice comment against her kids, she defends herself by saying "It's the same God, ain't it?" (Lee,) Calpurnia is acting justly because she is defending white folks.
In addition, his description describes him as a “bloodstained” (1.12) monster from the kid’s point of view. The description of “malevolent phantom” conveys that Boo is an evil creature full of mystery and “bloodstained” serves to add to the creepy atmosphere. However, the initial perception changes as the story progresses where Jem believes after the trial that Boo “wants to stay inside” (23.227) of his home to avoid seeing the true evil that people can do to each other. In addition, Scout’s impression of Boo transforms when she decides to “stand in his shoes” seeing that he knew they “needed him” (31.279). The atmosphere around Boo Radley no longer remains evil but rather one of a protective guardian when Scout empathizes with Boo. The setting made it possible to see the difference between one’s expectation and one’s reality through the importance of empathy. If the setting did not take place in Maycomb with the Radleys, then it would not have been possible to understand the error of false
Arthur “Boo” Radley appears only once in the novel, yet is discussed frequently by Jem, Scout, and Dill. Their imaginations run wild with ideas of a scissor wielding maniac who peeks in town windows and dines on raw squirrels. As they mature they start to forget about him, leaving their childish stories behind with the rest of their innocent ideas. However, Boo never stops noticing them:
Another very crucial point to the overall story is the mutual fascination between the children and Boo Radley (Arthur Radley). Boo constantly leaves objects (a watch, two soap dolls, a knife…etc) in the hollow of a tree on his property. Just as Boo does this, the children are constantly devising plans to look in the windows of the Radley house, to sneak into the back yard…etc. This was largely important to the story because it built upon the viewer’s opinion of the children, leading us to believe them having large capacity for imagination from their stories on Boo eating only squirrels and any cats he can get his hands on, and having them believe the stories as well! And all of these instances, the children’s stories, the fact that Boo never comes out of his house in sight of others, the stories of others concerning the Radley’s, the gifts in the tree hollow, lead us to believe Boo to be some sort of...
In the start of the story nobody saw or heard from Boo; all they knew was the stories they had been told about how horrible he was. As Scout recalled “nobody knew what form of intimidation Mr.Radley employed to keep Boo out of sight, but Jem figured that Mr.Radley kept him chained to the bed most of the time”(11). As time went on, Arthur seemed less as a monster and more as a whisper of a man. After Miss Maudie’s house caught fire, Atticus revealed to Scout that “[Scout was] so busy looking at the fire [Scout] didn’t know it when [Boo] put the blanket on around [her]”(72). To Scout that was horrifying, but it proved that he wasn't some monstrous person. Society didn’t recognize this until Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout. As Scout stated “Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives”(278). She and everyone else knew then that he was no ghost; he was a
First impressions of individuals are frequently long lasting, especially in the thoughts of kids. Numerous times these impressions, supported through confusion and prejudgment, cause undeserved discrimination and judgment against any individual in which in this case is Boo Radley. In To kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee illustrates the themes of misinterpretation and bias. For example, when Boo gets into some trouble with the law and gets charged with assault and battery. Also, when Boo returns fifth- teen years later and its stated that he tried to kill everyone in his household, which was considerably untrue. This portrays Arthur (Boo) Radley as an antagonist, although throughout the book we noticed Radley's true character/personality when,
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 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, 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...
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.