Boo Radley Analysis

Arthur Radley experiences social prejudice throughout the novel, hence, he is marginalised by the people of Maycomb. He is firstly portrayed as a mysterious character through the rumours of the towns. On pg9 various sentences such as, “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was high and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was

Arthur had saved the children because he saw them as his own. He watched them grow and had a great amount of love for them. Jem, Scout, an Atticus were more than grateful for Arthur’s presence. After that the children had not only gladly accepted Arthur but also had a great amount of love for

In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, there was a very unique, distinct, and important character; Arthur Radley, also known as Boo Radley. Arthur Radley has a very suspicious and unique past and way of living, which brought up a lot of different opinions and theories; especially when it came to Jean Louise Finch, Jeremy Finch, and Dill Harris. In this essay, you will be read about the progression of the different theories and rumours that were made about Arthur Radley.

In the story Arthur (Bob) was mostly locked away in the basement of his house. People saw him as a monster after he stabbed his father with scissors. Scout thought differently when he gave her a blanket at the night of Miss Maudie’s house was on fire. Although what people thought about Bob at the end of the story he saved Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell. Bob was very kind to the children that believed in him. The only appearances of kindness was when he came out the house to give scout and save them from Bob Ewe

him is seen as a figure of mystery and fear in the eyes of Scout and

As Scout and Jem walk home from the pageant they got attacked by Mr. Ewell. They screamed for help and the only person that heard them was Arthur (Boo) Radley. So he ran out to rescue their lives. This is the first time Mr.Radley left his house and the first time Scout saw him. To most people it was a mystery how Mr. Radley looked. When he was at Scout’s house he went to the farthest corner and the people there acted as if Mr. Radley was invisible.

One day during the summer the three of them went to the Radley lot and tried to enter into the house quietly but Jem gets his pants caught and the fence and they rip off of his body. (pg. 72) Later that night Jem goes out at 2 in the morning to go retrieve his pants but to his surprise they were all stitched up and fixed. (pg. 78) After school when Jem and Scout were passing by the Radley lot in the big Oak tree they saw grey twine, like the kind that had been used to sew up Jems’ shorts. (pg.78) Scout and Jem are thinking that this grown man is leaving gifts out in his front yard for them because Boo wants to become friends with them. By the end of the book Boo Radley isn’t just a superstition to Scout anymore, Boo Radley becomes a real human to Scout and she has developed from an innocent little girl to a sympathetic and understanding human being. Boo Radley is also a symbol for the good in all people. Boo Radley saw that Jem’s pants were in need of a fix and he fixed them up for him, (pg. 78) when Mrs. Maudie's house was on fire and Scout was standing out in the cold she thinks that Boo Radley is the one that put the blanket over her to keep her warm, and at the end of book Boo Radley kills Bob Ewell because Bob wants to hurt the

All other characters residing in the neighborhood are skeptical. Rumors circulate about Arthur, also known as Boo, “[driving] scissors into his parent’s leg, pull[ing] them out, wip[ing] them on his pants, and resum[ing] his activities” (Lee). The Finch children avoid the Radley house, yet remain fascinated with the professed stories. After the death of Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell tries to kill Scout and Jem. Scout is unharmed, Jem is wounded, but somehow, Bob is dead. The heroine is revealed to be Boo Radley, who saved the children by impaling Bob Ewell. Sheriff Tate doesn’t want to bring Boo into the publicity of a court case, so he claims that Bob fell on his knife. Scout understands that this exposure would be like “killing a mockingbird” (Lee). The inaccurate rumors and heroism of Boo Radley demonstrate Lee’s notions that oppose

When the true natures of Arthur and John emerge; however, they are far different than the children’s expectations. In Until They Bring the Streetcars Back, Cal was surprised to learn “[t]he terror of Summit Avenue had been playing with [them]” (Streetcar 231). Cal knew John only from their short encounters when they ran and wrongfully concluded John was chasing him solely with the goal of capture. He later discovered it provided entertainment for both sides. Likewise, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem are saved by Arthur, the very man they spent their childhood in dread of encountering. At the conclusion of the story, Scout understands that Arthur is not the monster she perceived him to be. Both John and Arthur become enigmas in the lives of Cal and Scout through stories and brief interactions. Scout hears wild stories about Arthur and quickly forms an inflated image of who he is, stating, “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom” (Mockingbird 8) and, “...I reeled around to face Boo Radley and his bloody fangs…” (Mockingbird 48). The final similarity between these two men is that they both watched for

However, upon careful consideration, many can find that these beliefs are false or misrepresented. Arthur Radley - a common name in Maycomb County lore - found himself the victim of said beliefs. Through false gossip, Mr. Radley soon found himself an outcast in his own community. Scout, one of the main protagonists, had adopted the accepted views of Mr. Radley; however, contrary to many, Scout set about to form his own view. Talking to Miss. Maudie Atkinson, Scout found a different view on Arthur. In the talk, Miss. Maudie Atkinson described the Radley name as sad. Founded by the fantasies of many, she informed Scout that Mr. Radley was merely the victim of a misrepresented societal view. Hearing about this, Scout soon altered his perspective to be more sympathetic of Arthur Radley. When Mr. Radley began leaving presents in the hole of a tree for Scout and Jem, Scout had begun to understand the falsities created by Maycomb County. Most notably the pocket watch made a significant impact on his developing view of Arthur. The pocket watch, traditionally handed down from father to son, shows the benevolence of Mr. Radley. A kind, caring man had been subject to oppression from his own community, despite their being no evidence to support any of the town

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the development of the character Arthur Radley is instrumental in understanding the ethical injustices of the time. Harper Lee presents Arthur in a way as to suggest and influence the initial perception of him. Scout describes, “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). Because the children are intimidated by Arthur, they attempt to avoid him. However, as such, their understanding is solely based off of rumors. The element of the unknown surrounding Arthur allows for imaginative explanations and fear. Accordingly, as the children never saw Arthur, they had no real, cemented image of him. Jem imagines, “[Arthur] dined on raw

The kind and compassionate nature of Arthur is foreshadowed from the very beginning of the novel, and illustrate his innocent character despite the rumors held regarding him by many of the Maycomb citizens. While he gifts Jem and Scout unanimously “two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and [their] lives” (Lee 373), he also covers Scout with a blanket while “[she was] so busy looking at the fire [Scout] didn't know it when [Arthur] put the blanket around you” (Lee 72). Not only do these instances present his true nature of kindness, compassion and consideration, they also strengthen his presentation of as a mockingbird. Moreover,he also demonstrates a fatherly and protective role towards the Jem and Scout, as exhibited through Scout’s

In particular, drool slipped out from between his rotten teeth; a jagged scar and eyeballs which seemed ready to pop out completed the appalling description. But in reality, Boo ended up being an admirable and valuable character. Accordingly, he gave Jem and Scout many small little gifts via the knothole in the tree in his front yard. In particular, these gifts included “Indian-head” pennies, gum, and small carvings of Jem and Scout themselves. Additionally, he went out of his way to help the kids; when Jem was trying to escape from the Radleys’ place after attempting a glance through the window, his pants got caught in the fence, and he had to pull out without them. Surprisingly, he found that when he went back for them, someone had mended the pants (albeit not perfectly) and laid them neatly across the fence. Moreover, the morning after Scout witnessed the conflagration that consumed Miss Maudie’s house (ironically on a very unusual and chilly winter’s night), Atticus saw that she had a blanket draped around

Arthur Radley is bad mouthed by many characters in the novel. He is said to be a bad person by Stephanie Crawford. Although in the end we find out that Arthur is actually a very nice person. Arthur saves Jem and Scout when they are attacked by Mr. Ewell, showing the reader that he is a good person. Arthur is not the only one who is scared of coming out or telling the truth in the novel.

I would not agree with sheriff Tate’s decision. Even though it seems like it was good to “protect” Boo Radley from the social aspect of the court case lying is still wrong. It is the sheriff's job to keep and uphold the law and truth. Bending it for the good of one person is also breaking it. If they had told the truth, Boo would be tried and found not guilty, because like Atticus said, “It is a clear cut case of self defense”.The only good lying about it would do is to keep Boo Radley out of the public eye.