Murder is defined as “the unlawful killing of another human being with intent or malice aforethought” (4) Murderers have been convicted for their actions in most trials, regardless of the background or reasoning behind the crime. While murder is a sin and should be avoided, people who commit it have reasoning behind their actions that may not be connected to evil thoughts or origins. Although others think that all murderers are evil, murderers should not always be punished because of mental disability, self-defense, and the childhood or background of the person. Some people may believe that people should always be punished for a murder, regardless of mental state. This may be true in some aspects because people who murder others could be …show more content…
It can be a factor that explains why the person thinks and acts the way that he or she does. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main event of the end of the story consists of the enemy, Bob Ewell, coming after Scout and Jem and attempting to kill them. Boo Radley, the man who lives in the mysterious Radley house and has never been seen by any of the neighbors in Maycomb County, comes out of his hiding place and rescues the kids. In order to do this, he kills Ewell. Boo had never been exposed to any of the world for many years because of how his parents treated him in the past, so he didn’t see what was wrong with getting rid of a mean man. “Boo wasn’t crazy, he was high-strung at times. It was all right to shut him up, Mr. Radley conceded, but insisted that Boo not be charged with anything: he was not a criminal. The sheriff hadn’t the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes, so Boo was locked in the courthouse basement.” (3) He had been locked away from civilization for a long period of time, and he had no understanding of the world around him due to the lack of exposure. Because of this, he did not understand why murder is a sin and should never be committed. Boo is also scared of the kids being killed by Ewell if he just sits in his room looking out the window at the scene, so he stands up for Scout and Jem and does what is right to show that he is a kind person to others, even if the stereotype of him is known as the opposite. Therefore, Boo Radley and other murderers who have a background of misunderstanding should not be punished for
The amount of integrity can dictate someone’s reputation. Boo Radley revealed his kindness in an unpredicted manner. Scout and Jem were being attacked by Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father, and Boo ended up killing Bob. Boo doesn’t know the outcome of killing Bob but, however, he did the virtuous feat. In addition, Boo hasn’t had contact with anybody for many years, so, for him to save the kids must have taken a lot of courage.
Boo is shy and reserved to himself, he doesn’t leave his house and he’s still judged as a monster under false accusations. Boo is passionate about observing. I say this because Boo doesn’t leave his house he observes from inside and stays aware of the things happening around him. Staying in his house away from people and observing is just Boo Radleys way of life. “Having been so accustomed to his absence , I found it incredible that he had been sitting beside me all this time, present.’
Isaiah 59:8 illustrates, "The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths. " Clearly, Scripture recognizes the existence of flaws of the behavior in man. Injustice comes in many forms. Racism, prejudice, false judgment, and stereotyping are all skewed perceptions. These distortions spill over into behaviors and human interactions, often resulting in the suffering of the innocent.
Boo Radley is a mysterious recluse who was known for being a delinquent as a teenager. Many people in Maycomb believed the fabrications made about Boo because he isolated himself, a predilection that was unacceptable in Maycomb (Lee 11). The town created a fictitious profile of Boo and misjudged him. In the beginning of the novel, Boo Radley was portrayed as a monster that sparked the interest of Scout and Jem as they made various attempts to try to get Boo to leave his house. As the novel progresses, Scout and Jem realized that “Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time … because he wants to stay inside" (Lee 304).
Some victims of violent crimes were in the hands of mentally ill or handicapped people. These mentally ill people that kill, do not usually kill out of a lack of moral grounding or "evil". These people typically either do not understand right from wrong or are unable to comprehend the possible outcomes the murder may have on themselves or others around them. Although most mentally ill people do not end up on death row, receiving instead long sentencing or treatment, the number of people who have been executed that were unknowingly mentally ill or had similar faulty thinking, and a potential for rehabilitation cannot be known. Also, capital punishment may normalize or rationalize murder.
Just standing on the Radley porch was enough. ”(279). Scout uses her imagination to try and view all the past events that have occurred through Boo’s eyes. When she does this she realizes that Boo isn’t a bad person at all, he is actually kind of like a guardian angel. Boo Radley’s character proves a great point that we should never judge or assume things about another person that we know nothing
Jem’s faith in justice and in humanity is badly damaged, and he retreats into a state of disillusionment. Jem says “Scout, I think I 'm beginning to understand something. I think I 'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley 's stayed shut up in the house all this time... it 's because he wants to stay inside." (304), in this quote it shows Jem idea’s of the world innocent broken, hinting that the reason why Boo Radley doesn’t want to come outside because of the world injustice and unfair
The justice system has always been the heart of America. But like this country, it has many faults. Prejudice has played a major role in the shaping of this system. In the 1930’s the way a courtroom was set up was completely different from how it looks to day. In the book To Kill A MockingBird, Harper Lee shows just how different it is.
*MOUTH* Harper Lee’s interpretation of Boo Radley’s philosophy illustrates his courage. At times when Boo leaves his home he doesn't harm anyone instead, he leaves Jem and Scout presents, covers Scout with a blanket during the fire, and eventually saves the children from Bob Ewell. Despite the pureness of his heart, however, Boo has been damaged by an abusive father. In Chapter 30, Scout tells Atticus that hurting Boo Radley would be “sort of like shootin’ a Mockingbird.” think it will be important for you to show the theory of Boo's character and what we come to find out is his actual character as you develop this theme of Boo's courage.
When Jem and Scout were coming home from the pageant and were attacked by Mr.Ewell, Boo rescues them and kills Bob Ewell in the process. Scout appreciates his actions because Boo saves her brother. When Atticus discusses turning Boo in, Scout says, “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 370). Boo makes the right decision by saving Scout and Jem and he does not mean to cause any harm.
However almost everyday Jem finds toys or random objects in the tree out front of the Radleys house. This gives Jem the idea that Boo isn 't some horrible monster after all. “Atticus believes Jem killed Ewell in self-defense, but Tate makes him realize that Boo Radley actually stabbed Ewell and saved both children 's lives.”(lee 28) This quote shows that the children had been put in a situation where the so-called “monster” Boo Radley saved their lives and they now could look at him not as some maniac but a hero and regular person who stays inside to protect himself from the stereotypes and cruelty of the world because of something people had said and that had been spread throughout the
Humans live in a world where moral values are very clearly set determining what is good and what is bad. We know what scares us and how racism should be treated. Nevertheless, this was not the case back in Alabama during the 1950s. In the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee narrates the lives of the people of Maycomb, Alabama, focusing on the story of Scout and Jem Finch, and the case of a said to be rape. In this emotion filled narrative, readers learn how life was back then not only in general, but for the separate social statuses that there was.
Boo Radley represents one of the “mockingbirds” in the book, and a mockingbird is someone that is pure and innocence in the world. He is a good person that is hurt by the evil of mankind. In a lot of ways, Boo Radley might have have wanted to stay shut up in his house after seeing some of the awful acts that the townspeople have committed. But after seeing the Finch kids being attacked by Bob Ewell he had no choice but to leave the comfort of his own home that he has been enclosed in for so long to come out and save them. All though it would have been easier for this man to stay in his house rather than leave and then be drug into court, he did what he knew would be right and rescued the
Boo Radley had been kept in isolation for so long, he didn’t know how to communicate or socialise properly. He has been misunderstood as a malevolent person, when he actually is a benevolent person. He displays this when he put a blanket around Scout, whilst she and Jem watched the fire. As readers, we are shown social prejudice by the assumptions made about the Radley’s. Another example of social prejudice is the
Boo Radley never harmed anyone, but was victimized by the social prejudice of the Maycomb community. Although not established until the end of the novel, Boo Radley is set up to be the last discovered symbolic character for the image of the mockingbird. Harper Lee has done this to illustrate all points of injustice in the 1930s societal town of Maycomb, where rumours and old tales define Boo's life story rather than his authentically generous heart and personality. During the concluding chapter of the novel, Scout comes to the realization that blaming Boo for Bob Ewell's death would be "sort of like shootin' a mockingbird." Boo does many kind-hearted things in the novel such as leaving gifts in the knot-hole for Scout and Jem, repairing Jem's pants, putting the blanket on Scout discretely in order to keep her warm, and even saving them from the evil Bob Ewell.