I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book is about a girl, named Scout, her brother Jem, and the people who lived in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Along with their summer friend, Dill, the children become obsessed with the idea of getting a look at their unseen neighbor, Boo Radley. Meanwhile, their father, Atticus Finch, decided to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who was wrongly accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. The children get caught up in the trial, in which Tom is convicted and eventually killed while trying to escape from prison.
“I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said,” Scout discovered In the book, To Kill a Mocking Bird. However, Jem, Scout, and Dill lived in Maycomb which provided zero entertainment. Most agree the children spent the summer in boredom, but some believe they should have respected their father Atticus’ wishes regardless. Others argue “The Boo Radley Game” resulted in innocent fun.
I believe that each character is symbolized in a positive or negative way, but throughout the book some changed dramatically. In ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Bob became evil, during the trial it was told that Bob had a drinking problem. Also, Atticus exposed Mr. Ewell and everyone lost any respect they had for him. On page 292, Atticus says, “Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with.”
“Atticus was right, one time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Standing from Radley 's porch and talking to Atticus helped Scout grow as a character and receive a different point of view on the things around her. As a little girl Scout was told rumors about Boo Radley which led her to see him as a strange and mysterious man. After a traumatizing event, at the end of the book, Scout walks Boo Radley back home and after standing on his porch she sees a different side to Boo Radley then people once told her. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the theme you never know a person unless you have walked in their shoes through point of view, flashback, and characterization.
(Lee 376). Arthur Radley is misunderstood by Scout until she finally meets him, seeing that he is a nice man. She thinks he is nice because he saved her and Jem’s lives, and if he had been “evil”, he would not have helped them. He also gave them small gifts in a hole in a tree, which, at the time, was his only connection to them. “Before [Atticus] went inside the house, he stopped in front of Boo Radley.
Children are born curious, with curiosity comes judgment and often misconceptions. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ delineates the themes of misunderstanding and prejudice depicted through the characterisation of a villain who is ‘about six and a half feet tall’ with ‘a long jagged scar that ran across his face’ and teeth that was ‘yellow and rotten’. Boo Radley’s reclusiveness led to constant discrimination and mocking, however, through progressive stages of the novel when Boo’s true intentions are revealed, the children’s prejudgment and ongoing fear of the Radley’s change. Boo Radley’s mysterious persona is the basis of community gossip, although he does not physically encounter any characters at the beginning of the story, adults such as the ‘neighbourhood
The first development in Scout I have concluded is her perception of Boo Radley, at the start of the book, Scout would hear neighborhood myths about Boo Radley eating squirrels, his physical features, and him being a legendary monster. 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 16). As the story progressed so did Scout maturity. Scout no longer have fears about Boo Radley, but only curiosity, she starts to develop an understanding that the trinkets found in the knot-hole of the Radley’s tree was a gesture of friendship, and soon starts to realize that Boo is not a monster after he puts a blanket over Scout during when Mrs. Maudie house is burning down. Near the end of the novel, it turns out that Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, and for the first time she sees Boo Radley in the
Scout later realizes that he is not mean and that he is generous. Boo finds ways to treat the kids in many different ways. He is a very kind man towards Scout and Jem. Boo would leave gifts for the kids in a hollowed out tree. When Ms. Maudie’s house started on fire he put a blanket around Scout.
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.
“Judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.” -- Simon Bolivar. Throughout each book, both of the characters,Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird and Junior from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part - Time Indian mature a lot from experiences and judgement they use. Jem believes he is invincible and no punishment can touch him and also that all people have good intentions.
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.
Boo Radley is compassionate for the children as they communicate through presents and the mysterious hints. As Scout grows older her perspective on Boo changes, from a creepy guy to a friend. Boo Radley is the mockingbird to Scout's understanding, just like Tom Robinson was a mockingbird to Jem. From Atticus's teachings she has learned to develop into a young lady. Atticus's lessons and Boo Radley impacted her view on the world.
Jem usually ignores people who talk trash about their family but when someone insults Atticus he would be furious but Atticus teaches him to be a gentleman and ignore the hateful comments. One other neighbor, Boo Radley is always behind doors but he shows Scout that he is not a bad person. Atticus knew it was Boo who covered up Scout but Scout says “Thank who?” and Atticus replies with “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you” (72).
The novel To Kill A Mockingbird is compiled of thirty captivating chapters. There are many events that occur throughout these thirty chapters, and many relationships between the characters change. One such relationship is the one between Arthur, or Boo, Radley and Jem and Scout Finch. Although Boo only came out of his house once in the novel, his relationship with the Finch children was seemingly the most dynamic one in this novel. Ten-year-old Jem and six-year-old Scout naturally believed almost everything they heard, which is why they believed the horror stories about Boo and the rest of the Radley family that they heard from Miss Stephanie Crawford, the town gossip.
Just like Jem showed that he was fearless about going into the Radely yard and peeked through the window, Liesel from The Book Thief, was fearless when she retrieved a book from a burning fire. The two protagonists, Jem and Dill wanted to show courage and not give in to their fear if they wanted to confront their neighbor Boo Radley. Even though, they knew it was wrong to harass a neighbor they had a secret desire to do so. Just like Jem defended Scout from Mrs. Dubose’s harmful comments, the dog is protecting an innocent lamb from its predators. This picture clearly demonstrates that the majority of the people want to lynch or hang Tom Robinson where as Atticus felt that every person has a right to a fair trail regardless of their
