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Boo Radley Experiences

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In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley is an essential character for Jem and Scout’s childhood experiences and survival in Maycomb. He constantly watches them mysteriously from his bedroom window, allowing him to help them at necessary times. Although Boo Radley is cooped up inside his house all the time, he is never able to really know what life experiences are important; but, this doesn’t stop him from trying to provide the best experiences for Jem and Scout. Boo Radley gives Jem and Scout many items that they could use as childhood experiences. For instance, on the way home from school one day, “Jem let me do the honors: I pulled out two small images carved in soap. One was the figure of a boy, the other wore a crude dress…less …show more content…

While confessing to Scout about the night in the Radley yard, Jem mentions, “When I went back for my breeches - they were all in a tangle when I was gettin’ out of ‘em, I couldn’t get ‘em loose. When I went back…they’d been sewed up…all crooked” (Lee 58). If it wasn’t for Boo Radley sewing up Jem’s pants, even though they were crooked, Jem probably would get in trouble by Atticus, or even Calpurnia, for going into the Radley yard again and messing with Boo; but, Boo “saved” him. Although Boo Radley is not mentioned a lot throughout the novel, he seems to help and care for Jem and Scout. During Miss Maudie’s house fire, Scout mentions, “...I became aware that I was slowly freezing where I stood… ‘Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire, you didn’t know when he put the blanket around you’” (Lee 70-72). Boo was probably eerily looking out the window, noticing that Scout was cold. This allows Scout to get the full experience about a house fire, even though it was unfortunate to be Miss Maudie’s house. If Boo had not given her a blanket, she might have went inside, due to the cold weather, missing this important life experience. Boo Radley does many acts of kindness for Jem and Scout, which gives them new experiences and shows that he genuinely idolizes them and their

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In the beginning of the book, Jem has a prejudice against Arthur/Boo Radley. Jem and his friend Dill, would make up stories about Boo eating cats, stabbing people with scissors and being a “monster” even though they have never met him before. In chapter 7, Jem goes into Arthur Radley’s backyard to spy on him, but then losses his pants. When he goes back later to retrieve his breeches, they are folded over the fence. Jem thinks that Boo left them for him because they were sewn together “all crooked.”

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One detail that reveals the fact that Boo watches closely over Jem and Scout is that he leaves specific gifts for them inside the tree knot. After finding a boy and girl doll carved out of soap, Scout thinks, “The girl doll wore bangs. So did I”(Lee 80). THis further portrays the thought that Boo must pay very close attention to them, enough to carve every last minute detail into a piece of soap. Furthermore, when Scout is standing outside during a fire and is cold, a mysterious blanket is placed around her and Atticus says, “Looks like all of Maycomb was out tonight, in one way or another”(Lee 95).

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In the book, Arthur Radley, or Boo, gives multiple gifts to Scout and Jem in an effort to befriend them and connect with the outside world. As a person who has lived trapped in his house with only his family for most of his life, he understandably wants to try to connect with the outside world. Boo gives away many valuable or prized items that might have been valuable to him to make friends with Scout and Jem who prized all these items very highly. He also secretly gave Scout a blanket when Scout and Jem were standing outside in the cold with nothing to keep them warm while watching Miss Maudie’s house burn down. Scout does not even realize this until her father asks her where she got the blanket “Thank who?’

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Jem and Scout loved going past the Radley’s place and finding the things they think Boo Radley have left them in a tree. Boo Radley is a older guy who has been stuck in his house for stabbing his dad in the leg with scissors. Boo was then put apart from everyone because they didn't want a him with colored people. He was put in the basement but developed lung problems and got released from jail. Ever since Boo has been stuck in his house.

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In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s perspective of Boo Radley changes as others influence her. Initially, Scout thinks as Boo as a malevolent phantom, and is scared of him because of the stories she hears. Midway through the novel, Boo starts to reveal himself to Scout, and she starts on her journey to realizing who he really is. Finally, after Boo saves Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, Scout walks Boo back home. Now on the porch of the Radley place, Scout looks at her street from Boo’s perspective, and she realizes that Boo is just like anyone else, but he just rather live a reclusive life. Ultimately, Scout learns that she can not judge anyone until she is able to see life from their perspective.

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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.” Little do they know that Boo Radley will play a huge part in their survival at the end of the book when the crazy Bob Ewell Attacks them and Boo Radley protected them, something that Jem and scout would’ve never imagined, But something that the reader could foreshadow. Due to Boo’s acts of kindness like when he returned Jem’s pants sowed after he got them caught on the barb wire fence while he was snooping and around and also the gifts he left in the knot of the tree that helped him build a deeper sentimental relationship with Jem and Scout even if the kids did not know it. Boo had built such a relationship with them that he had done something extremely courageous and protects Jem and scout from Bob

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This explains how Boo had to get out of his comfort zone of staying in his house to do the heroic service of protecting Scout and Jem, risking the unveiling of his shy ways to the Maycomb community. After both children are safe and Atticus thanks Boo for his children, Scout takes him by the hand and leads him back to his house. As he releases Scout’s hand and shuts the door, never to be seen again, Scout describes him, stating that “He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives.”. (320) This illustrates how Boo Radley had acted as a guardian angel for the children; socializing with them but also defending them when necessary. Boo demonstrates courage when he chooses to protect the Finch children; resulting in having to murder someone and risk exposure after being a recluse for many

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“According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.” (11) As a child, Scout tended to believe this rumor and ended up growing fear until she first encountered him. She managed to learn a lot about him as he left interesting gifts in his tree for her.

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A lot of people viewed Boo Radley as a monster who could not leave is house. That was not the case Boo was a nice person who helped people without them knowing some times. One night Scout and Jem were walking home after the event they were attended, Bob was following the kids home and he was intened trying to hurt them. Jem was attacked by Bob and Jem told his sister to run home. Scout was knocked down because of the custom she was wearing.

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First of all, Jem learns first-hand the dangers of making assumptions, by assuming that Boo Radley is an evil man. Jem himself describes to Dill what he thinks Boo Radley looks like: “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch... 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.” (p.16) From his perception that Boo Radley was a monster, Jem starts to realize that he may be a nice man.

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751 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel, the children befriend Boo Radley, since he is a shut in and many children of the neighborhood are quite curious as to what he does inside all of the time. Boo and Scout came specifically close, him giving her a blanket when Maudie Atkinson’s house burned down and at the climax point when he makes his initial known physical appearance as he saves Scout and Jem when Bob Ewell attacks them. After the Tom Robinson trial, Jem and Scout are finally starting to see from his perspective as 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.

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915 Words | 4 Pages

Boo Radley taught them, in the sense, that you can’t Judge a book by its cover. At the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout pictured Boo to be this “...malevolent Phantom (Lee 10).” that went out at night and looked through people’s windows. But after leaving them gifts in the tree and putting a blanket on Scout while she was standing out in the cold, Jem’s and Scout’s Perception of him began to evolve from a monster to a person.

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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.

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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.

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In the story Boo Radley plays the role of Scout and Jem’s guardian angel. He watches over them and helps them when they get into trouble. In the first chapters, the kids make fun of Boo, they taunt him. All they know about him is what they have heard, that he is a crazy man. Throughout the story though, Boo proves them wrong.

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