ipl-logo

Minor Characters In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

1348 Words6 Pages

Minor Characters With Major Impacts “Racism is so universal in this country, so widespread, and deep-seated, that it is invisible because it is so normal.” A quote well said by Shirley Chisholm, the first woman to run for the democratic party's presidential nominations, states that racism is overly normalized and has become a long-lived issue. This quote closely correlates to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In the novel, many black characters are treated unfairly and are faced with many unfair challenges. These challenges are completely disregarded because the color of their skin is different from the others. The two main characters, Jem and Scout Finch learn and face obstacles …show more content…

Harper Lee used the character Mayella Ewell for the reason that she wanted the readers to feel greater emotions toward the book. She wanted to convey anger for Tom Robinson, and Mayella added that touch. Boo Radley was misjudged by the town, proving the townspeople are full of gossip. Helen Robinson also added emotion to the book. Her loss of her husband was upsetting and let the readers feel what it was like for people living in segregated times. Starting off, Harper Lee used Mayella to add emotion to the novel. She wanted the reader to be angry for Tom Robinson, the defendant in the case. During the court case, Atticus kept addressing Mayella in a polite manner, however, the constant judgment she faced made her assume that Atticus was just creating a mockery out of her. Ms. Ewell was fed up when she thought was Atticus making fun of her and stated, “I got somethin’ to say an’ then I ain’t gonna say no more. That person yonder took advantage of me an’ if you …show more content…

Harper Lee used Boo Radley to help one learn more life lessons and the main themes within the novel. After Arthur Radley heroically saved Jem Finch's life, Scout had finally seen him for the first time. Scout tried to maintain her excitement in order to be kind and show her politeness to Arthur. Since everyone gossiped about Boo behind his back, Scout felt bad for Boo Radley. She wanted Arthur to seem like a gentleman, in case anyone from Maycomb would see him that night, so she told him “Mr. Arthur bend your arm down here, like that. That’s right, sir” (320). This quote suggests that Boo Radley is a regular person. Boo Radley taught the reader many things. Firstly, Maycomb is a gossipy town, as many false rumors were created about Boo. Harper Lee also put Boo Radley in the novel to reveal information about a character name Stephaine Crawford, who was known as the town gossip in Maycomb. Without Miss Stephanie Crawford news would not be able to spread as fast, and many false rumors about Boo would remain unknown. Boo Radley helped Jem and Scout have their epiphany, their relationship sprouts from when the kids treated Boo inhumanly, but towards the end of the novel, Scout looks out for Boo’s best interest proving she had an epiphany. Arthur Radley may not have spoken to Jem or Scout before, but he taught them valuable life lessons that one who

Show More
Related
494 Words | 2 Pages

Arthur Radley, also known as ‘Boo Radley,’ for many years been described as a malevolent, dangerous, and scary man. But as time goes on, is Arthur as bad as the people of Maycomb describe him? The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, is a story told by Scout Finch, a six-year-old living through the great depression in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama where her and her brother must mature fast when they experience the real world face-to-face. Arthur Radley is described as a scary figure by the people of Maycomb, but as the novel progresses, many perceptions of Arthur change for the better.

Read More
653 Words | 3 Pages

As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities” (Lee 12). When Scout heard this rumor she believed it, she is a young and at first was a product of the usual disease. Boo Radley is unknown to Miss Stephanie, and when people do not know something that is how rumors are formed. Boo Radley has stayed inside for fifteen years, no one can know the real truth. It was “Maycomb’s usual

Read More
428 Words | 2 Pages

Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” Scout relives through what Boo Radley must have seen: Jem, Dill, and Scout playing games in their yard, Jem and Scout standing outside while Miss Maudie’s house burnt down, Jem and Scout being attacked. This helps her really understand the man whom she only saw once: Boo

Read More
924 Words | 4 Pages

This quotes illustrates that Boo Radley came out of nowhere and saved Jem and Scout. Atticus was very thankful of Boo because he saved his children. This took a lot of courage from Boo Radley. Boo is always protecting the two children. Again, at the end of the book, when Boo was in the house, he was courageous to stay and talk to everyone considering that he hasn't showed his face in years.

Read More
586 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1205 Words | 5 Pages

Mayella Ewell; A Guilty Victim Mayella Ewell, a 19-year-old adult committed a crime, not a crime of ignorance or of innocence. She committed a crime of her own free will. She falsely accused a man of rape, which indirectly led to his death. Mayella Ewell is a character from the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee. The book is set in the small imaginary town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression.

Read More
665 Words | 3 Pages

Shaadi Wanna Literature Mrs. Greshock 5 April 2023 Mayella Ewell Mayella Ewell, a societal outcast accepted by no one, is a major character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. To the people of Maycomb, Mayella is a Ewell, and an outcast. Mayella does seek a better life, though.

Read More
582 Words | 3 Pages

Early in the book Jem, Scout, and Dill are curious about Boo Radley and try to talk with him. Later Scout and Jem were attacked by Bob Ewell, but in the end Scout notices that Boo is a hearted person who is different. As she stands at the Radley porch she remember her father’s lesson which he was told earlier in the book. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around.” (Lee).

Read More
609 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee’ novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is an explosion of literary genius surrounding one of America’s darkest hours; a time that man turned against itself and brothers waged war. The entire book revolves around a quote stating that “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” This quote is both intriguing and blunt: It is a sin to harm the innocent. Throughout the book, Lee exemplifies this by using minor characters that end up playing a large role to the reader. Mayella Ewell’s character seems pretty straight-forward if you skim through the plot.

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

Boo Radley saved both of the children's lives from Bob Ewell, but he had to kill him to prevent Scout or Jem from getting seriously hurt. Even though it was Mr. Tates job to take Boo Radley (Or Arthur Radley) into jail. But he decided not to because “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird,” Arthur being the mockingbird in this situation. Besides the important lesson Scout showed us throughout the book, She also showed how her childlike innocence impacted the events around

Read More
1274 Words | 6 Pages

Radley. Throughout the years, Boo was always there to assist, care for, and watch over the children. Yet he lurked in the shadows, keeping his distance, and remaining unseen. Draping a blanket over the freezing kids as they watched the blazing flames engulf Miss Maudie’s house, leaving tiny gifts in the Radley tree, stitching up Jem’s pants, and saving `them from the wrath of Bob Ewell, these were all generous actions Boo carried out for the Finch’s. Scout was beyond grateful, but felt guilty she had not given back to Mr. Radley.

Read More
591 Words | 3 Pages

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird is compiled of thirty captivating chapters. There are many events that occur throughout these thirty chapters, and many relationships between the characters change. One such relationship is the one between Arthur, or Boo, Radley and Jem and Scout Finch. Although Boo only came out of his house once in the novel, his relationship with the Finch children was seemingly the most dynamic one in this novel. Ten-year-old Jem and six-year-old Scout naturally believed almost everything they heard, which is why they believed the horror stories about Boo and the rest of the Radley family that they heard from Miss Stephanie Crawford, the town gossip.

Read More
1339 Words | 6 Pages

In the second part of the book, Scout and Jem find out that their father is going to help Tom Robinson, an African-American,

Read More
1244 Words | 5 Pages

In Maycomb, people fear what they do not know and what is unusual to them, hence shaping the rumours of Boo Radley to cope with the unknown. Considering he is unseen from the public eye, and has a messy past, many begin to fantasize what is happening with him currently by constructing stories. Anyone who claims that they know information on Boo, have no proof or firsthand experience to support it as the truth. Scout knows that Jem’s information source on Boo Radley is from another individual and their fantasies, “So Jem received most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford, a neighbourhood scold, who said she knew the whole thing.”

Read More
730 Words | 3 Pages

In Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird”, the issue of Southern Womanhood is brought up many times throughout the novel. Lee uses many different characters to help show how she viewed Southern Womanhood. Specifically she uses, Scout, Mayella Ewell, and Scout’s Aunt Alexandra. In "To Kill A Mockingbird", Harper Lee uses specific characters to show how negative of an impact Southern Womanhood used to have. Harper Lee uses Scout in many cases to show how she thought Southern Womanhood used to have a negative impact.

Read More

More about Minor Characters In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Related Topics

Open Document