ipl-logo

How Does Boo Radley Use Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

512 Words3 Pages

In Harper Lee's seminal novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," Boo Radley and Tom Robinson stand as poignant symbols of innocence and vulnerability, akin to the metaphorical mockingbirds in the narrative. Through their character arcs, Lee crafts a narrative that not only explores the racial tensions and societal injustices prevalent in 1930s Alabama but also delves into the complexities of human nature and empathy. Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are victims of prejudice and misunderstanding, embodying the innocence that is ruthlessly destroyed by the harsh realities of the world. Boo Radley, the reclusive neighbor of the Finch family, serves as a central enigma throughout the novel. From the outset, Boo is portrayed as a mysterious and misunderstood figure, shrouded in rumors and urban legends. Despite his reclusive nature, Boo's actions throughout the novel reveal his inherent kindness and innocence. He leaves gifts for the Finch children, mends Jem's pants, and ultimately saves their lives in the novel's climactic showdown with Bob Ewell. Yet, despite his altruism, Boo remains an outcast in the eyes of Maycomb society, feared and ostracized due to his eccentricities and the rumors surrounding his family. …show more content…

Accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman, Tom becomes the target of racial discrimination and injustice. Despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence, including Mayella's conflicting testimonies and Tom's crippled arm which renders the alleged act impossible, Tom is convicted solely on the basis of his race. His trial, presided over by an all-white jury, serves as a stark reminder of the systemic racism prevalent in the Deep South during the Jim Crow

Show More
Related
746 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a Novel about a little town called Maycomb Alabama. This story is about a pair of siblings, Scout the younger sister and Jem the big brother. Boo what people call Arthur Radly, is a local legend who is described as a total of different things. Many people want to be as far away from him as possible but since no one has ever seen him leave the house that caused a lot of different types of gossip that were passed around town about who he is, and what he has done. Boo is portrayed to be some sort of “being” that the kids have never seen before.

Read More
598 Words | 3 Pages

Abbasi 1 Hasan Abbasi Roorda English 1 H Period.6 5 March 2017 The Portrayal of Boo Radley through Figurative Language To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, portrays groups of people rejected from all aspects of society, and their struggles to live a normal life. Boo Radley, a man neglected from society primarily because of his past, is regarded as a social pariah. He is the subject of harassment by the townsfolk, especially by Scout and Jem Finch, the protagonists of the novel.

Read More
587 Words | 3 Pages

A majority of Maycomb is scared of Boo, because of rumors. The town gossips that he is a beast, however Scout later finds out he looks normal. Rumor has it he is a vicious creature, however this is far from the truth. Boo actually helps more than he hurts. Boo hid trinkets in the tree’s knot hole for Jem and Scout.

Read More
479 Words | 2 Pages

While he stays in his house most of the time Boo was there for Jem and Scout when Bob Ewell went to go harm them after the halloween pageant. After Scouts and Jems run in with Bob Ewell, Scout finally meets Boo for first time when he stands in the corner of Jem’s room, trying to hide from the people in the room. Even though Jem and Scout were messing with Boo and harassing him, he always will protect them.

Read More
328 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley is a character that is mysterious, but proves himself to be caring and kind with the way he treats Scout and Jem Finch. He is the subject of rumor, framing him as insane and violent by the people of Maycomb because he never leaves his home, when in reality he is just lonely. As Dill puts it, when asked why he doesn’t try to leave, “Maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to run off to.”(192). Throughout the novel, he watches over and goes out of his way to show Jem and Scout that he cares about them by leaving them trinkets in the knot hole of a tree or attempting to fix a hole in a pair of Jem’s pants. The theme that he represents is being a mockingbird.

Read More
266 Words | 2 Pages

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

Read More
980 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, the readers can see how Scout changes her view about Boo Radley. Because of their nosiness, Jem, Scout, and Dill try to drag Boo out his house and to the outside world. Their innocent actions combined with Boo’s actions changed the image of Boo, in their minds, from “a malevolent phantom” (10), a person who kills cats and eats squirrels to a neighbor they can trust, who saves them from Bob Ewell. Scout says at the end, “Boo was our neighbor” (373). The readers can see a great change in their relationship.

Read More
327 Words | 2 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird is an intriguing, thought-provoking novel with many multi-dimensional characters. Boo Radley is perhaps one of the most dynamic characters in this classic novel set in Maycomb, Alabama during the height of the Great Depression. Throughout the novel, Boo demonstrates courage, selflessness, and caring despite being considered an outcast in the Maycomb community. Boo is courageous in many ways throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. He is courageous because he is able to stand up in the face of danger.

Read More
549 Words | 3 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is a story about inequality, injustice and racism seen through the eyes of two innocent children, Jem and Scout. Jem and Scout live in Maycomb, Alabama and learn these sad lessons through their relationships with their father Atticus, their maid Calpurnia, their mysterious neighbor Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of a terrible crime. Through their relationship with Boo and Tom, Jem and Scout learn about racism and inequality that changes how they see the world. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are two different people who share similar struggles with inequality throughout this story. Boo and Tom experience a form of racism and discrimination.

Read More
364 Words | 2 Pages

Furthermore, Boo Radley is another character that improves Scout’s maturity. According to Jem, Scout’s brother, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained” (Lee 16). Because of the assumption that many people in Maycomb came up with about Boo, he is known to be a lunatic and no one wants to mess with him. Boo is not what he seems like or what people had said about him. Following the case of Tom Robinson, Scout finally understood why Boo never wanted to be involved in society and why he wanted to be a recluse.

Read More
946 Words | 4 Pages

After Boo kills Bob Ewell, Heck Tate decides not to prosecute Boo and just leaves him alone. When Atticus asks Scout if she understands the sheriff’s decision, Scout says that if Boo were to be dragged to court, “it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird” (318). Throughout the whole book, Boo is portrayed as a loner who is misunderstood and unfairly judged by the townspeople of Maycomb. Despite his seclusion from society, Boo performs acts of kindness, such as leaving gifts for Scout and Jem, like chewing gum and a watch, and ultimately saving them from harm when they get attacked by Bob Ewell. Just as a mockingbird does no harm and only brings joy through its song, Boo's actions are motivated by compassion and a desire to bring good to Jem and Scout.

Read More
889 Words | 4 Pages

Character Analysis Essay Boo Radley Boo Radley is a character in the esteemed novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee. His character is a strong character, yet absent from quite a bit of the novel. His character throughout most chapters is more like a mythical being, rather than an actual human being, and through his absence, it is shown to us that Boo Radley is a troubled, complicated yet held back character. However any knowledge of Boo Radley’s character as an actual human being rather than a mythical person in a more real life setting comes in later chapters and that changes the view on Boo Radley slightly. Despite this, we still see that Boo Radley, in absence or not, is a complicated, troubled, yet compassionate character that is of great importance in the novel.

Read More
822 Words | 4 Pages

Multiple characters are symbolized as mockingbirds because it would be a sin to kill them as they only try and want to be a kind, civil person. Boo Radley is a misunderstood, and kind-hearted man who is represented as a mockingbird in the novel. Boo, due to the county's curiosity and fast pace spreading of rumours, is often perceived as monster “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom” (Lee 8).

Read More
973 Words | 4 Pages

Boo Radley, a character who never comes out of his house and sounds as scary as his name, portrays an important theme in Harper Lee’s classic To Kill A Mockingbird. The classic is rich with themes and inspires many people to learn from these themes. One of the main themes is developed by Tim Johnson, the pet of Maycomb, Tom Robinson, a black man convicted of rape, and Boo Radley. The theme these characters are developing is that it is a sin to hurt or kill something that is not harmful. Tim Johnson is a marvelous dog that brings joy to the town of Maycomb, but Atticus kills Tim.

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

Boo Radley who “was not seen again for fifteen years”, is the most misunderstood person in Maycomb. His childhood mistakes marginalise him from society by a “form of intimidation Mr Radley employed to keep Boo out of sight.” To elaborate, Boo did not intend to separate himself and be perceived as a “malevolent phantom.” In truth, Boo is intensely lonely and wants to befriend the children in which he saves their lives. Similarly, in The

Read More

More about How Does Boo Radley Use Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Open Document