Appearance Vs Reality In To Kill A Mockingbird

In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird Boo Radley is shown as an innocent archetype. Boo Radley appearance relates to the myths surrounding his persona. Boo had pale white skin, gray eyes, thin hair, and wore torn cloths. The myths that the town of Maycomb had made about him contained inhumane actions. A rumor spread about Boo was that he had stabbed his father, “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 13) Boo’s family were feet-washing baptists. Their religion made communication with the other

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the author reveals additional information about one of the novels protagonists, Atticus Finch, by using direct and indirect characterization. As the novel’s ongoing tension arises so does Atticus’ personality, and he begins to interact with the community differently then he has before: “the only time I ever heard Atticus speak sharply to anyone.” (Lee 107). This quote does not merely convey his character and personality but also the lack of aggressiveness he had previously displayed throughout the novel. His son Jem also explains that he has not yet been whipped in his life, which strengthens his relations between him and his children. In addition to showing respect and kindness to his family and community,

Scout and Jem are talking on their way to the carnival at the high school, when suddenly Cecil Jacobs jumps out to scare them, and it works. They then carry on their way to the auditorium, and when they get their Jem gives Scout ten cents to go play carnival games until it’s time for her to get her costume on. She plays the games until it is time, and then dons her slightly

In the beginning of the novel the kids have an impression that boo is an evil phantom , ‘‘Inside the house lives a malevolent phantom. People said he existed but Jem and I had never seen him.’’ Scout is assuming that Boo is a “phantom” but she says that she and Jem have never seen him. Nobody can really judge Boo because nobody has seen him. Later on, Scout is able to see Boo, but surprisingly sees that “He was going around the corner. He was carrying Jem. Jem’s arm was dangling crazily in front of her. By the time I reached the corner the man was crossing our front yard. Light from our front door framed Atticus for an instant; he ran down the steps, and together, he and the man took Jem inside." Boo saved Jem from Bob Ewell. Although many people looked at Boo Radley as an evil dangerous man Scout was able to see that he was just a misunderstood man who was kind and shy. Therefore through the eyes of a child, she was able to understand that people may judge others on appearance, but once you are able to see the true personality of that human being, perspectives can

To Kill A Mockingbird was published in the summer of 1960 and it could be considered one of the greatest novels created. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, wrote these novels because of many personal experiences influencing her. One being the Scottsboro Boys case where an African American was falsely accused of raping a white woman where he was sentenced to death. This influenced the racism and prejudice in this novel. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee created a character named Boo Radley to develop a theme in this novel. Boo, a man that was living in the shadows, thought to be a scary and harmful person but actually being very friendly, shy and innocent. In To Kill A Mockingbird,

We know stereotypes exist, because we control how people view us. However, we often create false images of ourselves in order to avoid prejudice. In Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is a lawyer and father to Jem and Scout, who are ages six and nine in the beginning of the story and end at ages nine and twelve. The story is all based around this small family and their town Maycomb dealing with a rape case with a black male and a white female. Throughout this Novel many characters put up a front to hide who they truly are so that they’ll be judged on that rather than what they really are. We see this on a daily basis with people whom put on a smile everyday, but we also see this with Mrs. Dubose, Tom Robinson, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond when he hides behind his “alcohol” so that it gives the public a reason for his lifestyle.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a complex literary work exploring several aspects of the human condition. Lee’s story is one based in the 1930’s, shortly before the Civil Rights Movement. Her novel ventures into the societal issues, such as racism and gender stereotyping, in their fictional town, Maycomb. One recurring theme throughout the narrative is the social adjustment of the citizens of Maycomb and the human race as a whole. Lee showcases the progress in social justice matters by using symbolism and motifs.

In, To Kill A Mockingbird, we often see examples of racism in Maycomb as well as other misconceptions about those are not of a minority. The first example in the book is seen on page 16. In this excerpt, Jem describes how he imagines Boo Radley looks, based off of stories he has heard. He describes Boo as being six feet tall, having yellow teeth, having pooped eyes, he often drools, and that he eats squirrels and cats. As we see later in the story, these misconceptions cause the children to want to see Boo more and more, causing them to see him as a freak and not a person. The second example on page 267 comes from Scout about Mr. Dolphus Raymond, a man who is said to be half black. He calls Dill over to calm him down and Scout narrates by saying,

Imagine you are a lawyer tasked with an impossible case, and everybody in your community is against you, but still there is a shred of hope you cling to. What might that be you ask? That to which you cling are your morals. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch had been given the Tom Robinson case, where a black man was convicted of raping a white woman. As a single father of two children, he continues to reinforce his values throughout the trial and during his daunting task of raising his children. In To Kill A Mockingbird what Harper Lee suggests about the nature of morals is that you should try to stand up for what you believe in even if people oppose or reject your ideals. Even when faced with an insurmountable opposition you should stand up for your morals because in the end if your don't follow your beliefs you are just contributing to the problem. We should try to create a voice for what we believe in and impress that upon the next generation so they can continue to exercise their beliefs to make the world a better place.

Self-perception is something which can definitely harm anybody. In today’s world, there are many people who like the idea of just aiming for the conclusion and who don’t even think of what the consequences might be, they never even think of how the thing that they are doing might affect others. This can usually occur in many places like high schools. Students say stuff about their friends(rumors) which might usually hurt somebody else. These people are always dodging the reality and are never even thinking about the future. Making such sort of decisions about someone is ridiculous. “Point of View” is something which should be taken into account. Without knowing anyone and assuming who they are is not only wrong but is also hurtful. It’s like assuming someone's race or assuming how much they earn or simply just accusing someone of being a criminal without even knowing the reality. The idea is not to harm anybody and that's what leaders like Gandhi or Mother Teresa do, they are people with a very clear point of view. One should never have a fixed perception of anything because having a fixed perception kills anybody who has one.

Arthur Radley is left in isolation in his home, which cause his form of discrimination. Bloodstained hands, scar across the face, eats cats and squirrels: all of these are myths old throughout the story about him. Boo Radley lives in Scout’s neighborhood and is forced to stay inside his house, without contact from the outside world due to his infamous past. Boo’s absence leads to many theories and tall tales about his appearance and his actions. “Facts” on Boo included yellow, decaying teeth, his eyes popped, drooling most of the time, and even Miss Stephanie claims that he looked at her through her window one night. Scout, Jem, and Dill spend their summers trying to contact and communicate with Boo. They are obsessed with his story and are curious about the man behind the legend. By the end of the story, Scout reaches their goal by meeting Boo Radley when he brought Jem home from the

1. “…He was about six-and-a-half feet tall with hands that were permanently bloodstained… and a long jagged scar ran across his face… What teeth he had were yellow and rotten and his eyes bulged out of their sockets! (Pause). That was the initial gruesome description we were given for the harmless Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley, but did any of those horrific features actually appear reasonable to you? (Pause) I didn’t think so! When a mature reader reads this extract from the novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, they would immediately recognise that the description of ‘Boo’ is only a result of Jem Finch’s overactive imagination.

When you hear the world innocents what’s the first thing to come to mind? In “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by famous writer Harper Lee. Who used symbolism;(A literary device where the author use an object to stand for an idea). To stand for innocents as the mockingbird. In her novel, to kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Boo(arthur)Radley, Atticus Finch, Mayella Ewell as human, ”mockingbirds” to contribute to the overall theme of innocents.

Jagged scars, disgusting teeth, bugged eyes, drooling mouth- the description from a young boy of a man that would one day show his true self to the Finch children. The town of Maycomb have a small amount of people that live there, so everybody knows everybody. Rumors are bound to go around about anything, such as Arthur Radley. Arthur “Boo” Radley is not how everyone perceives him in Harper Lee’s

Scout notices Boo Radley’s odd appearance but realizes that he is not what people said he is. Just after Boo Radley has rescued Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, Scout sees “A strange small spasm shook him,” she sees his “sickly white hands,” and she sees his “colorless eyes.” (Lee 362). What people have told Scout about Boo Radley has made him seem frightening. When Scout actually sees him, she notices that he has a peculiar appearance and he seems anxious. Seeing Boo Radley’s unusual appearance and behavior makes Scout