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How Is Boo Radley Presented In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In Harper Lee’s Pulitzer prize winning “To Kill A Mockingbird” ,Maycomb always portrayed Boo Radley as the devil of their town; he is described by the townsfolk as a violent and dangerous man. He has always been misjudged by society and he is a major victim of society’s prejudice. Jem and Scout never saw this in Mr. Radley. Sure, they were scared of him at first but their opinion changed after each encounter. They discovered that Mr. Radley is a very sweet, nice, and innocent man even though he has done substandard things in the past. One event changed the way people saw him. It is arguable that Boo Radley is even more of a mockingbird than Atticus Finch due to Boo’s acts of kindness towards the kids. He brings plentiful joy to their lives …show more content…

Mr. Ewell was furious because in the trial, Atticus accused Bob Ewell of beating his daughter and so he attacked Jem and Scout. Luckily, Boo was around and killed Bob. Later on, Atticus and Tate finally agree that Ewell fell on his own knife and accidentally kills himself, a decision Scout fully understands. Miss Maudie was never the type of person to judge other people. She told the kids to give Mr. Radley privacy at all times and she respected him because he is a normal human being, just like everyone else in Maycomb; even if some thought they were more equal than others. After this unfortunate event, the reader really starts to see how much of a mockingbird Boo really is. "Two live oaks stood at the end of the Radley lot; their roots reached into the side-road and made it bumpy. Something about one of the trees attracted my attention. Tin-foil was sticking out of a knot-hole just above my eye level, winking at me in the afternoon sun. I stood on my tiptoe, hastily looked around once more, reached into the hole, and withdrew two pieces of chewing gum minus their outer wrappers."(Lee, 33). When Boo left the gifts inside the tree for Scout and Jem, it was the first sign of gentleness and care from Boo. Scout was not certain if it was Mr. Radley that left them the gifts, Jem thought it was suspicious. Arthur Radley metaphorically symbolizes a mockingbird for every good deed …show more content…

The thought of Boo saving her life brings Scout to tears but she manages the situation with maturity and strength like regularly. When Scout was walking Boo home she thought to herself "Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough."(Lee, 279) She felt that just by standing on the Radley’s porch made her see everything from Boo’s perspective and she finally understood everything. It is amazing how someone’s view on someone else can change so effectively just like how Scout’s did. At the beginning of this adventurous story, she was terrified of Boo and never enjoyed passing by the Radley house; later on near the end of the story, her thoughts really changed and Scout saw Boo for who he really is… a

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They don’t eat people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one things but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”(119). This quotation reflects Radley’s character as a mockingbird because he has no evil intentions against anybody. He is not sinful because he has a lot of great things that shows he is not sinful, like he helps Jem and Scout out so many times. Boo leaves presents in the knothole of the tree.

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In Chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird Jem and Scout find several things in the knot-hole of the old oak tree on the Radley house. The children are very curious about who left these things there. Later in the book they realize that it is Boo Radley is leaving the gifts. He is trying to show them his affection for them. Throughout the novel Jem and scout find 2 sticks of gum, a pack of gum, 2 old Indian head coins, gray twine, soap figures carved to like Jem and Scout, old spelling bee medals and an old watch on a chain and an aluminum knife.

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The first development in Scout I have concluded is her perception of Boo Radley, at the start of the book, Scout would hear neighborhood myths about Boo Radley eating squirrels, his physical features, and him being a legendary monster. 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 (Lee 16). As the story progressed so did Scout maturity. Scout no longer have fears about Boo Radley, but only curiosity, she starts to develop an understanding that the trinkets found in the knot-hole of the Radley’s tree was a gesture of friendship, and soon starts to realize that Boo is not a monster after he puts a blanket over Scout during when Mrs. Maudie house is burning down. Near the end of the novel, it turns out that Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, and for the first time she sees Boo Radley in the

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Moreover Scout expresses that “Boo was our neighbor… But neighbors give in return….We had given him nothing, and it made me sad” (Lee 278). Scouts feelings changed about Boo, she felt that he was a friend. She was unhappy that she didn’t return to her neighbor, but pleased to see the side of Boo that was never shown to her. Boo Radley is characterized as a

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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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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.

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Just standing on the Radley porch was enough. ”(279). Scout uses her imagination to try and view all the past events that have occurred through Boo’s eyes. When she does this she realizes that Boo isn’t a bad person at all, he is actually kind of like a guardian angel. Boo Radley’s character proves a great point that we should never judge or assume things about another person that we know nothing

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Scout does not realize that Boo has been placing presents until Atticus says to Jem, “You’re right. We’d better keep this and the blanket to ourselves. Someday, maybe Scout can thank him for covering her up” (Lee 72). Scout is confused by who Atticus is referring to until he says, “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the

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1442 Words | 6 Pages

Mr. Ewell describes to Atticus that to him it is a “sin” to bring a shy man who does good out of the shadows that the society has forced him to go into. Boo Radley has been an individual in the society for as long as anyone can remember and bring someone who has been characterized as a boogeyman into the society that has given him that name is wrong. Scout uses the rule that Atticus taught her about the Mockingbird to show Atticus that presenting Boo to the society is wrong. After Mr. Tate explains to Atticus the moral principles of the matter of bringing Boo into the light Atticus puts aside his views and thinks about his mockingbird. Seeing her father's discomfort Scout assures him

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1028 Words | 5 Pages

To the children, so much as entering the front yard of the Radley house is a terrifying feat. At this time, the children do not understand Boo’s situation, as they have yet to meet him and know little about him apart from the stories. In the end, the children learn that Boo has been watching them all along and has even been a helpful presence in their lives. He was the one who left gifts in the tree outside the Radley yard for Scout and Jem, and he gave Scout a blanket during the fire. More importantly, however, Boo was the mysterious figure who saved the Finch children from Bob Ewell’s attack.

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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).

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If not for the major characters, the minor characters have played an equally important role in Maycomb with their contrasting views. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is mainly about Jem and Scout growing up under the difficult situations created in Alabama during The Great Depression. Stereotypes and discrimination are major problems in Maycomb. Scout and Jem Finch are raised by Atticus, with the help of Calpurnia, their maid. In the first part of the book, Scout, Jem and Dill are fascinated by Boo Radley because of the rumors they hear about him, and they try everything to make him come out of his house.

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Decide how the relationship between Scout and Boo Radley evolves providing sufficient evidence In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Scout develops a strange relationship with a mysterious character, Boo Radley. Scout, Jem, and Dill are interested in Boo Radley because of the mystery that dominates around him and the Radley house. The town people poorly judge Boo Radley and hearing stories from Miss Stephanie Crawford frightens Scout and Jem. Although the relationship starts out as fear and mystery, as time passes, Scout begins to realize that Boo isn’t the monster they described him as, he is rather a nice and caring person.

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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

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In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee shows that we shouldn’t be too quick to judge another person’s character based on outward appearance and the stories and rumors we have heard. The character Boo Radley is a perfect example of why we shouldn’t be hasty to judge. On the outside, Boo looks like a scary neighbor that lives just a few houses away. “.....he had sickly white hands that had never seen the sun. His face was as white as his hands…..”

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