Arthur Radley, also known to Jem, Scout, and Dill as “Boo,” is a mysterious character. He’s the Finch’s neighbor and he never comes out of the house, though there are numerous rumors about him. Arthur raises curiosity in Jem and Scout and they try to communicate with him to understand why he stays in the house all the time, but they’re not successful. One day on their way home from school, Jem and Scout found a ring case in a tree. They found two old Indian-head coins inside that have been polished and taken good care of. Jem says, “I don’t know, Scout. But these are important to somebody…” (Lee 47). This is Arthur’s way of communicating with the outside world, but Jem and Scout don’t understand this yet because they’re trying to figure out who put those coins in the knot-hole. Jem has some knowledge on coins because he knew what kind they were when he first looked at them and he also noticed that they had been taken great care of since they were polished. Another time Arthur was trying to communicate with others is when Miss Maudie’s house was on fire. Jem and Scout were told by Atticus to wait by the Radley’s front gate and while waiting, Arthur put a blanket around Scout. She didn’t notice she had a blanket until after her, Atticus, and Jem went inside. Atticus said, “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t …show more content…
The characters Mayella Ewell, Jeremy Finch, and Arthur Radley show that this theme is present in many different ways. Mayella Ewell is disregarded for being an Ewell, Jeremy Finch handles situations differently than others would. Lastly, Arthur Radley is the mysterious character who no one understands because of the rumors around Maycomb and the way he lives. These characters are all misunderstood by others over the course of the novel and they all have their own story to