In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Eugenia Collier’s “Marigolds”, the decay of the domiciles of the Radleys and Miss Lottie contribute to the lore surrounding them, as the demeanor of each house is the most visible piece of their existence. Both characters inhabit ramshackle ruins of houses that have been a constant in the towns for as long as the townsfolk can remember; based off the exterior senescent, the townsfolk make unfounded inferences about the Radleys and Miss Lottie. As the Radleys live in a house that “had long ago darkened to the color of the slate-gray yard around it”, so Boo Radley must have deteriorated to a shadow of the person he used to be (Lee). Because the townsfolk can only see the exterior of the house, they use
Ms. Lottie is an old lady that doesn't like anyone in her neighborhood except her son, John Burke. Ms.Lottie had these special flowers that she always had, and took care of and no one knew why, especially in the neighborhood
Urban Legends Urban Legends: “a humorous or horrific story or piece of information circulated as though true, especially one purporting to involve someone vaguely related or known to the teller”. Urban legends are small stories about a person, place, or thing that are suppose to scare you. Some people take them seriously and the majority of others don’t know what to think about them. The Legend of Boo Radley and the urban legend The White Death are two that are completely different, but have one thing in common; they’re both urban legends.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem, and Scout are forced to grow up because of the events surrounding a court case. Jem and Scout start the book off as innocent kids just wanting to play. They often wonder why Arthur Radley stays in his house all day and often found the house creepy, “The Radley Place was inhabited by an unknown entity the mere description of whom was enough to make us behave for days on end” (Lee 6). Jem and Scout were scared of this house and Arthur Radley who lived in it. All they had heard was rumors about why he never came out of his house and they often made up stories of their own as well.
The description of the Radley house comes off as scary and creepy to the kids at first. Until they realize that Boo Radley is a really nice person. And that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Just because the house looked scary on the outside doesn’t mean that the people that live on the inside are mean and evil, or whatever come to think that they are. This contributed to the saying earlier in the book where it said: “You never know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.”
To Kill A Mockingbird: Realities can be Masked by Rumors In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the major themes resides in the fact that while people come and go, rumors last forever. Dill, one of the characters in this novel, has a sudden and profound realization which embodies this idea: "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" (227).
During the exposition of To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee portrays Boo Radley as the ghost of a wild, foolish troglodyte. Time and time again, the people of Maycomb recount of his reckless childhood. One story, the tale of a young Arthur along with his “enormous and confusing tribe” (12), gives a prime example. As usual, the
In Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the concept of isolation is closely intertwined with prejudice, showcasing the profound impact that prejudice can have on individuals' lives. The text provides compelling evidence of this isolation through the use of quotes and language techniques, highlighting the cause-and-effect relationship between prejudice and the resulting social exclusion. One poignant example of isolation can be seen in the character of Boo Radley, a reclusive figure who becomes the subject of rumours and speculation within the community. Scout, the narrator, reflects on the neighbourhood's perception of Boo, stating, "People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows... When people's azaleas
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley is an essential character for Jem and Scout’s childhood experiences and survival in Maycomb. He constantly watches them mysteriously from his bedroom window, allowing him to help them at necessary times. Although Boo Radley is cooped up inside his house all the time, he is never able to really know what life experiences are important; but, this doesn’t stop him from trying to provide the best experiences for Jem and Scout. Boo Radley gives Jem and Scout many items that they could use as childhood experiences. For instance, on the way home from school one day, “Jem let me do the honors: I pulled out two small images carved in soap.
Appearance VS. Reality In the novel To Kill a MockingBird written by Harper Lee there are many events that occur that show the theme of appearance vs Reality. Throughout the story Boo radley is looked at as a monster that hides in his house and scares children. Mrs.Dubose is an old lady who had a morphine addiction and Tom robinson is known for sexualy abuseing a young white woman.
Just innocent people that help with everything they can. A mockingbird represents innocence and is harmless to everything. In the end of this novel, the kids were saved from a tragic event by one of the mockingbirds which is Boo Radley. This was surprising because everybody thought he was crazy and hurt people, but he saved the kids.
The town made many rumors since they didn’t know what was even going on with the Radley’s as they are hushed and serious. Our narrator Scout explains, “A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked. The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot; from the Radley chickenyard tall pecan trees shook their fruit into the schoolyard, but the nuts lay untouched by the children: “Radley pecans would kill you” (5). The Radley’s and their house was that “scary” that not even a negr0 wanted to walk by their house and kids wouldn’t touch the pecans that fell on the floor because it would be “poisonous” as it’s from the Radley’s property. This shows the town is prejudiced as now even kids are being told to be cautious of the Radley’s properties which shows how biasness is being passed down to the kids and even with black people, they are avoiding the Radley’s because they think that they will hurt them.
The world she lived in was so ugly and plain and she choose to “create beauty in the midst of [all that] ugliness" (62). This helps to create the theme because even though Miss Lottie had so little she still worked hard to care for the beautiful marigolds. In “Marigolds” the author uses diction, symbolism and point of view, to develop the theme that people can create beauty even in the poorest of situations. Through diction, Collier is able to show the reader the contrast between the beauty of the marigolds compared to the run-down town the story is set in.
Harper Lee and Tate Taylor contend that those who do not fit into society are misunderstood and often have different realities. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in 1935 in Maycomb, a Southern American town where everyone attends church and socialises with people within their social hierarchy. However, the Radleys isolate themselves from Maycomb by not going to church and worshipping at home. Furthermore, the Radley’s house doors and shutters are always closed, which is “another thing alien to Maycomb’s ways.” As a result, the Radley’s do not fit into Maycomb societal standards.
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…..”
