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How Does Harper Lee Use Fear In To Kill A Mockingbird

544 Words3 Pages

In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout are scared of Boo Radley because of the mysterious rumors and stories that they have heard. These rumors claim he has bad intentions and he is a mean, scary guy. Because of these rumors, their fear of even going near the Radley house is much greater than their bravery. The lack of interaction and the rumors create uneasiness and fear in the children’s minds. As the story progresses, Jem and Scout’s views and opinions of Boo Radley start to change. They decide to start ignoring the rumors and have their own thoughts on Boo. Now they are not so much scared of him, they are more understanding of him and putting themselves in his shoes, realizing he has never gotten a chance to grow up and he is lonely and isolated. In the book, Jem says “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” (259) This shows Jem beginning to understand Boo’s situation and he is starting to ignore the rumors. This new understanding of Boo changes the way Jem and Scout think about him and makes them have a more open mind about the Radley house. …show more content…

Jem and Scout talk to Boo through here and exchange gifts with each other. One day, they realized the hole was filled with cement. Jem is hurt badly by this as he felt he had a special connection with Boo. This would be the end of ever talking to Boo again. The emotional response that Jem had toward this shows his love and attachment he had with Boo. This shows how important it was to Jem to have a relationship with Boo in his

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