Laney McKee Ms. Walker Honors English 8 24 April 2023 The Boogieman of Maycomb Everybody makes mistakes, even Boo Radley. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo has done some bad things that lead him to better ways. He is viewed differently and kept in spaces where he cannot hurt anyone. Since he never gets to redeem himself and show the people who he actually is, they all make assumptions about him. Therefore, he symbolizes a Mockingbird through innocence, shielding, and people’s perspectives. Boo’s innocence is abused as a result of mistakes he made in his past. Even though he tries to subtly help others so he can gain their trust, they still think he is untrustworthy. When Jem is trying to slip under the Radley fence, his pants get stuck, so he leaves them there. Boo knows that Jem will come back and get his pants, so he quickly mends them. Boo wants to help, not hurt Jem. Jem explains, “When I went back, they were folded against the fence… like they were expectin’ me” (Lee 66). Boo also saves the children from getting …show more content…
Even Scout and Jem never know the real him. They think he is a monster. “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his track; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained…” (Lee 14). The children did not know he was a good man until he saved them. When Boo killed Ewell, saving Jem and Scout, Atticus’ perspective of Boo completely changed. "[...]Sheriff Tate interrupts, telling Atticus that Jem did not stab Ewell; that he fell on his own knife... Atticus and the Sheriff decided that Boo should be spared a trial. They tried him in the secret courts of their own hearts, and declared him "not guilty," and Scout endorses their decision: to try Boo would be like shooting a mockingbird" (Dare 86). Jem and Scout notice that he wasn’t as scary as they