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How Is Arthur Radley Presented In To Kill A Mockingbird

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A drooling, scarred, yellow toothed ghost of a man or an isolated, kind, and miss understood gentleman? Arthur “Boo” Radley Jr.’s character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an interesting figure. The events of the story, from the Finch children’s daily doings to Miss Maudie’s house fire to Tom Robinson’s trial, are all witnessed by Boo from inside the Radley house. Although Boo lives a concealed life, we see that he exhibits a caring and isolated nature that’s important to the story. The first character trait Arthur Radley displays is that he is caring. During Miss Maudie’s house fire, for example, Boo noticed that Jean Louis was cold and proceeded to silently wrap a blanket around her. Lee informs us, “‘Thank who?’ I asked. ‘Boo …show more content…

Mr. Radley Jr. didn’t desire being praised for his kindness and only wanted to be nice. Later in the story, the Finch children discover items hidden in a tree. Boo never had any practical reason to give the children gifts, especially after all the torment the children have probably given him. Boo wanted to make the children happy with no expectation of something in return. The most evident act of care from Boo was when he protects the Finch children and gets them to safety. Lee states, “He was carrying Jem. … Light from our front door framed Atticus for an instant; he ran down the steps, and together, he and the man took Jem inside” (Lee, 263). After all of Boo’s time hidden away from the outside world he came out and revealed himself to protect two children. Boo had a lot to lose in this event but cared for the Finch children and risked himself and his seclusion to protect them and get them to …show more content…

According to the text, “The doors of the Radley house were closed on weekdays as well as Sundays, and Mr. Radley’s boy was not seen again for fifteen years” (Lee, 10). After a young Arthur Radley got into trouble with a gang or sorts, his very restrictive and possibly abusive father made certain Boo wouldn’t get into trouble again. This was probably the reason for Arthur’s very hidden and isolated life. There were only two prior instances where Boo had been seen; once when Miss Stephanie Crawford stated she had seen Boo staring at her at night and once when Boo had supposedly stabbed his father in the thigh with a pair of scissors. This lack of interaction displays Boo’s isolation. The strongest point of Boo’s isolation is that the townspeople knew Boo was alive only because they hadn’t seen a body taken out of the Radley house yet. Miss Maudie tells us, “‘I know he’s alive, Jean Louise, because I haven’t seen him carried out yet,’” (Lee, 43). The only reason the townspeople think Boo Radley might be alive is because they don’t have any proof that he’s

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704 Words | 3 Pages

Primary Evidence: Jem tells Scout that he thinks that Boo stays in his house because Boo knows that if he was to be seen in public he would be judged by Maycomb citizens (Lee 227). 2. Interpretation: Like a mockingbird, Boo is misjudged and people are scared that he will harm them, but he is actually innocent and loving. B. Claim: Boo radley is a loving giving man who likes to bring joy to

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591 Words | 3 Pages

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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759 Words | 4 Pages

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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860 Words | 4 Pages

Boo Radley doesn’t come out of his house unless he is doing something for the kids. Like sewing Jem’s pants and folding them on the fence “I wondered why Atticus was inviting us to the front porch instead of the livingroom, then I understood. The livingroom lights were awfully strong” (Lee 312). This explains that Boo doesn’t go out of his house much, nobody knows if it’s because he is scared of new people or if he is crazy or many other reasons. That one night Boo had the courage to save Jem and Scout from Bob Ewells knowing that there was someone else out there that he didn't feel comfortable with.

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511 Words | 3 Pages

Boo (Arthur)Radley is an engrossing character in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird.” He displays several qualities which make him him an engrossing character. Boo Radley is very shy. This is evident when he went to visit jem and was hiding in the corner. Boo Radley is also very missunderstood.

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Rumors swept through the town, ruining a man’s reputation and giving him no reason to step outside of his own home. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Arthur “Boo” Radley is the most complex of Maycomb’s residents. Many say Boo is a killer that should not be trusted near children. However, Scout thinks otherwise as she tries to understand Boo herself. She learns more than she figured, as Boo teaches her numerous lessons without even meeting her.

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974 Words | 4 Pages

Arthur Radley is Finch's neighbor who is imprisoned in his house due to foolish mistakes he made as a kid, first by his father and now by his older brother. Arthur Radley is reserved, tends to keep to himself, and is a helpful neighbor to the finches. For example, "Before he went inside the house, he stopped in front of Boo Radley. ‘Thank you for my children, Arthur," he said (Lee, 147). In this quote, Atticus is thanking Arthur Radley for rescuing his kids from getting almost murdered by Bob Ewell.

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1025 Words | 5 Pages

He is said to be insane and never leaves the house. In the movie, his house is a dark, abandoned looking house and the children in the village are afraid to go near it. There is a lot of speculation around who Boo Radley is because not many people have seen him much. Jem was very brave when he touched the house and retrieved his pants. However, the scene where Boo displays his heroism is when Bob Ewell tries to kidnap Jem and Scout.

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613 Words | 3 Pages

Imagine yourself in a small town in Alabama where you, your sibling, and your friend Dill spend your summer days using your imagination to fulfill your boredom. During this you decided to act out one of the scary myths of the neighborhood, your neighbor Boo Radly in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Boo Radley has been known to have stabbed his father with scissors and has hidden in his home. His father, Nathan Radley will not allow him out. Boo Radley is presented as a mockingbird because most of the things people say about him are wrong.

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He was always watching the kids and whatever they did and when they were in trouble he was there. “Im beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside. ”(pg.304). Boo Radley wants to stay inside because he knows what it’s like out in the world, because some people like to lie and cheat he really can't trust a lot people.

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1640 Words | 7 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Arthur aka Boo Radley is a mockingbird because he is a kind recluded person getting harassed by everyone because he’s different but he’s really just a nice person, shy and even protected Jem and Scout from their attacker showing his courage. To begin with, Boo is nice because he gave many things to Scout and Jem through the knothole till his brother Nathan clogged it up with cement because it was “dying” as Scout and Jem thought but really isn’t much proof. “We were walking past our tree. In its knot-hole rested a ball of gray twine”(59) after a bit of talking Jem convinced Scout not to take it yet and leave it waiting to see if someone like Walter Cunningham would take it back. “We went back home.

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668 Words | 3 Pages

The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, says, “Nobody knew what form of intimidation Mr. Radley employed to keep Boo out of sight, but Jem figured that Mr. Radley kept him chained to the bed most of the time” (Lee 11). In this scene Miss Stephanie Crawford, Scout and Jem Finch are talking about Boo Radley. From this line the reader can tell that Boo does not go out of the house and he is mysterious. Furthermore, when Scout, Jem, and Dill pretend to be Boo and stab his father, this helps the reader build Boo’s characterization that he is evil.

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943 Words | 4 Pages

“Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you” (81). Arthur Radley is a true representation of

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1191 Words | 5 Pages

Boo Radley is the neighbor of the Finch Family and is seen as a sinner. He is not considered to be on a social hierarchy within their community, as he is silent within his home most of the time. Boo might seem like one who isn’t notable in the community, but in fact, he

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507 Words | 3 Pages

But in reality, on the inside, he is a good hearted person. Arthur Boo Radley is a man of few words, and even though he doesn’t talk very much, he is defined by his actions throughout the book. Three characteristics that describe this man are: thoughtful, brave, and misread by others. He is incredibly misunderstood because of the talk in the town that has spread. Many people think he is a terrifying man who is a savage that eats the raw animals that he catches, which turns out to be an incorrect interpretation.

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