Emily Gantt Dr. Seymour Eng. 113E October 31, 2016 Boo Radley: A Monster? Arthur Boo Radley had always been a surreptitious man, per the people of Maycomb. Not only were rumors about him spread by the town, but words started to float around among the children, too. Jem Finch described Boo Radley as a man “about six-and-a-half feet tall, with yellow and rotten teeth, and popped eyes.” (Lee, 1960, p. 16). The children saw Boo as a monster because they did not take the time to get to know him. Boo chose to stay inside of his home and away from the Maycomb community remaining a mystery to everyone. Due to their childlike innocence, Jem, Jean Louise, and Dill would conjure up fantasies about Boo Radley. All they knew about him was that he lived inside a gated home and he kept to himself. It became easy them to come up with stories such as, “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.” (Lee, …show more content…
They describe physical attributes and even describe what they think to be mental attributes, too. This applies to Jem, Scout, and Dill, as they saw him as a reclusive monster, but only until he slowly started to come out of his shell in front of their eyes. Jem was caught on the wrong side of Boo Radley’s fence, and as he was running away, his pants happened to get stuck there. Out of fear, Jem kept running. Finally returning to see what the result of losing his pants was, he found that they had been sewn and patched back up, done by the hands of no one other that Boo Radley. When leaving the Halloween pageant, Scout, still dressed as a ham, and Jem were not expecting to be attacked by a drunk Bob Ewell, who was still upset about the verdict of Tom Robinson’s case (in which Robinson was found guilty). Radley, seeming to appear out of nowhere, showed up
Arthur Radley, also known as ‘Boo Radley,’ for many years been described as a malevolent, dangerous, and scary man. But as time goes on, is Arthur as bad as the people of Maycomb describe him? The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, is a story told by Scout Finch, a six-year-old living through the great depression in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama where her and her brother must mature fast when they experience the real world face-to-face. Arthur Radley is described as a scary figure by the people of Maycomb, but as the novel progresses, many perceptions of Arthur change for the better.
The three kids were chatting and Dill wondered what Boo looks like so Jem describes Boo as “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… There was an long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most or the time.” (Lee,16) This is the result of what happens when rumors are spread, people are misjudged and sometimes avoided like how Boo is shown throughout the book until the end. Boo Radley is wrongfully judged and admonished when it is just that not many people are circumspect.
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. ”-Jem. Sounds like a monster, right? Although at the beginning of the story Boo Radley’s existence seems imaginary throughout the story his existence because more real and more visible. How?
The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, says, “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” (Lee 11). In this scene Miss Stephanie Crawford, Scout and Jem Finch are talking about Boo Radley. From this line the reader can tell that Boo does not go out of the house and he is mysterious. Furthermore, when Scout, Jem, and Dill pretend to be Boo and stab his father, this helps the reader build Boo’s characterization that he is evil.
Boo Radley, Scout/Jem and Tom Robinson have been victims of stereotypes. Following this point, Boo has been named a creep and a monster because he has been locked in his house for 19 years. When Boo was young he was involved in a crime and his punishment was being stuck in his house. Generally the people of Maycomb have open doors to their neighbors, so since Boo is not allowed to let anyone in the see his a different and a nuisance. His neighbors also say terrible things about him portraying him as a monster.
When they were younger, Scout and Jem believed Boo Radley was a scary man who had bloodstained hands, rotten yellow hands, and had drool running from his mouth. When in reality, he was actually the contrary. “When they finally saw him he hadn’t done any of those things… Atticus, he was real nice” Lee, page 281. When Scout finally saw Boo Radley she realized he was not how she had pictured years ago and that he was actually a very charitable human.
He was convicted for no reason, and Scout compares that to killing an innocent mockingbird. Although Boo Radley stabbed Bob Ewell, he did it to protect Jem and Scout because Ewell was about to stab them to death. Robinson and Radley’s kindness and helpfulness turned them into the mockingbirds of Maycomb. This quote displays Scout’s understanding that taking away someone’s innocence is
Innocence is a time in one’s life of carefreeness and peace. In youth, children have yet to experience the harsh realities of life, and when they do, it is often hard to cope with. In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays Maycomb’s prejudiced ways through an unfair trial of an innocent man, and through the treatment of certain members of the community. The young narrator, Scout, and her older brother, Jem, experience growth and learn compassion when the trial exacerbates Maycomb’s intense intolerance. In this novel, Lee uses the characterization of the Finch children to demonstrate that innocent children who have been exposed to their community’s prejudice, often have trouble adjusting, but need a mentor figure to help them mature.
Have you ever thought your parents weren't cool? We all have, so does Jem and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. No, this isn't an essay on why you should think your parents aren't cool it's to take a cool satisfy sip of Jem Finch's life as a young boy in a racist society. In addition we will crawl around and Jem’s skin to get the just of Jem's life and other aspects of it. Boo!
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee many characters are victims of the harsh conditions of Maycomb County. Often those who are seen to be metaphorical mockingbirds are punished the most. A mockingbird is one who only wants and attempts to do good. Characters such as Boo Radley, Jem Finch and Tom Robinson are exemplars of mockingbirds in Maycomb. In the novel it is explained by Atticus that killing a mockingbird is a sin because they do not do anything to harm to us like nesting in corncribs, or eating up the gardens, they only sing for us.
He is accountable for creating many themes as well affecting the actions and development of other characters. Furthermore, he plays a major role in the maturation of Jem and Scout. Jem, Scout, and Dill are fascinated by the rumors of Boo Radley around them. People in Maycomb perceive Boo as someone who, “dined on raw squirrels and cats” and “the teeth he had were yellow and rotten”(16). This quote shows the people’s impression of Boo and how they affect the childrens in the book.
Rumors swept through the town, ruining a man’s reputation and giving him no reason to step outside of his own home. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Arthur “Boo” Radley is the most complex of Maycomb’s residents. Many say Boo is a killer that should not be trusted near children. However, Scout thinks otherwise as she tries to understand Boo herself. She learns more than she figured, as Boo teaches her numerous lessons without even meeting her.
In the beginning of the book Stephanie Crawford, the town gossiper, justifies that she knows everything about Boo Radley. Scout and Jem are frightened by Boo Radley because of all the stories they have heard. Scout is terrified of the Radley place and calls Boo, a “malevolent phantom.” According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, Boo Radley was sitting in the living room cutting some items from the newspaper and when Mr. Radley had passed by him, Boo drove the scissors into his leg.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County during the late 1930s, where the characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will witness the prejudice that Maycomb produces during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin colour, and class, their whole lives. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and each contribute to how events play out in the small town of Maycomb. Consequently, socially disabling the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace. Boo Radley and his isolation from Maycomb County, the racial aspects of Tom Robinson, and the decision Atticus Finch makes as a lawyer, to defend a black man has all made them fall in the hands of Maycomb’s prejudice ways.
But in reality, on the inside, he is a good hearted person. Arthur Boo Radley is a man of few words, and even though he doesn’t talk very much, he is defined by his actions throughout the book. Three characteristics that describe this man are: thoughtful, brave, and misread by others. He is incredibly misunderstood because of the talk in the town that has spread. Many people think he is a terrifying man who is a savage that eats the raw animals that he catches, which turns out to be an incorrect interpretation.