Boo Radley Evolution

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, readers are able to see the ways in which Scout, Jem, and Dill learn valuable life lessons as they progress throughout the story. The book is narrated by Scout, a twelve-year old girl, who takes part in many adventures with her older brother Jem ranging from games at the house of their neighbor, “Boo” Radley, to witnessing her father, Atticus Finch, defend a black man, Tom Robinson, from being wrongfully accused of rape. While many may argue that To Kill a Mockingbird should not be taught in class, the values taught by the characters help to argue that it should be taught to classes.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book thick with symbolism and metaphors. It is a debatable fact that Scout, the female protagonist, is a symbol for innocence. Though the validity of her symbol is in doubt, I am certain that the symbol in this novel for injured faith, or broken innocence, is Boo Radley. That puts in question the reason why Boo continues to amble down the same road of apathy while Scout is being led down the path to unbiased maturity. I believe that Atticus, the father figure in the novel, is the subtle influence that raises Scout to be aware of the immoral actions around her but not to accept them. Prejudice corrupts a child’s progression of innocence to maturity, but Atticus keeps his children from assuming the attitudes of the townspeople.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book thick with symbolism and metaphors. It is a debatable fact that Scout, the female protagonist, is a symbol for innocence. Though the validity of her symbol is in doubt, I am certain that the symbol in this novel for injured faith, or broken innocence, is Boo Radley. That puts in question the reason why Boo continues to amble down the same road of apathy while Scout is being led down the path to unbiased maturity. I believe that Atticus, the father figure in the novel, is the subtle influence that raises Scout to be aware of the immoral actions around her but not to accept them. Prejudice corrupts a child’s progression of innocence to maturity, but Atticus keeps his children from assuming the attitude of the townspeople.

Matt Berman from Common Sense Media commented, “This richly textured novel, woven from the strands of small-town life, lets readers walk in the shoes of one fully realized character after another.” To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, one of the major messages is identity. Harper Lee lets the people look into the perspectives and identity of some of the characters that make it seem very life-like. In the novel, many characters possess both admirable and dislikable qualities which are shown through their actions. With the nurturing of her father, Scout contains the charming qualities of being courage and mature for her age. The father that instilled these characteristics in Scout, is Atticus Finch. While dealing with the stressful case of Tom Robinson, Atticus maintains to keep the likable aspects of sympathy and strong will. The antagonist in this novel fighting against Tom Robinson is Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell has instilled, in him, the terrible qualities of cruelty and racism. These life-like characters that Harper Lee illustrates gives people a clear vision of who the characters portray.

Rickey Williams says, “I don’t think people change. I think the essence of what I am today is the same as when I was five years old. It’s just maturity.” (Ricky, Williams). In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the characters face many challenges in their society and experience lessons that made them different, than from the beginning of the book. Atticus, the father of Scout and Jem, is a lawyer in Maycomb County during the 1930’s. Atticus is given a special case where he has to defend a black man, which creates many problems for him and his family against their town, dealing with racism. In the novel Atticus, Scout, and Jem are all wise people that symbolize a mockingbird.

The Finch family is hopeful. Atticus has brought his children up by his values. The children, Jem and Scout, are taught to hope, by their father, Atticus. Both are impacted form the work Atticus has done, he has defended an African American. Jem learns from Atticus to never lose hope, and he does not lose hope throughout the novel. The children also show that there is hope in the future for people to be nonjudgmental. They did not understand how a jury could convict a man whom they knew was innocent and this was astonishing for them. Atticus explains to Jem that it has happened before and will happen again, sadly he also told them,"... when they do it - it seems that only the children weep...” (Lee, pg 232). Atticus is the wise one; he explains the problem to the children. He tells them that injustice will always happen. Atticus tells the children that bad things happen in the world, but only children find it hard to understand. The message of hope carries on in the book, is that despite her debut into the adult world, she avoids absorbing the prejudices of the community around her. Scout becomes our hope for a more tolerant future. However all hope is not lost in the end. As Scout realises that Boo is no one to dread and the two become friends, so too do we realise that the town can likewise learn to shed its bigotry and embrace its subject of unfound malice. Jem and Scout learnt that hope is always there, from there father, Atticus in the novel, To

In the case of to Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee crafts a clear idea of family dynamic between the main characters, using the parent-child relationship between Atticus, Jem, and Scout as the main example. Atticus, who raised Scout and Jem as a single parent, passes his morals to his children in order to help them see the world in a more productive and open minded way. While talking to Scout about how to better get along with people, Atticus explains to her that “ ‘[you] never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it’ “ (Lee 39). This advice from Atticus affects Scout and her outlook on how she has dealt with others, and this change is how her family, mainly Atticus, impacts her and makes her a better person. This family influence also applied to Jem. For Example, when Bob Ewell dies and Heck Tate is trying to explain to Atticus why Jem should not come forward as guilty, Atticus tells Heck Tate that he needs Jem to be treated fairly: “ ‘If this things hushed up, it would be a simple denial to Jem of the way I've raised him. Sometimes I think I’m a total failure of a parent, but I’m all they've got. Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I’ve tried to live so that I can look squarely back at him…” (Lee 366). Atticus wants Jem to be treated like an adult because Atticus raised Jem to take responsibility for his actions, and although he questions how he raised Jem and Scout, he wants to stay committed to what he is trying to teach them. This family relationship shows how Atticus taught his children, but also

Growing up happens during the magical times of freedom given to children in their early years. Wise parents discern when freedom is necessary for their children, are very clear about their expectations, and determine fitting consequences for actions out of line. Harper Lee personifies this role of a wise and caring parent in the father figure of her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch, a character made to mirror the author’s own father, is a lawyer and a well-respected citizen of his Southern Alabama town. Through Atticus, Harper Lee establishes a standard of good and evil, developing the theme of morality during his interactions. Atticus establishes right from wrong in most every relationship, especially with his children, his

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is about two children, Jem and Scout, and their relationships with their father, Atticus. The children raise themselves growing up, many people would say they were irresponsible, but they are both appear to be intelligent individuals. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird the novel demonstrates a rigid class structure and social stratification in the County of Maycomb. People should not be judged by their social class, they should be judged on their personality.

Children sit in school for eight hours a day for at least twelve years in their lives, learning how to read and multiply. However, children learn the most important lessons in life outside of the classroom walls. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem discover powerful lessons about life through their father, Atticus, community and experiences. They view an unjust trial of a black man against a white woman, and find that the world is cruel and that they must treat all people with respect. They judged and bothered their neighbor Boo Radley, but he later saves the two of them. Through this, Scout understands not to make assumptions about people until she gets to know them. Also, through Scout’s experiences in school, she finds that

Atticus said, “They’ve done it befor and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep”(Lee 285). To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. It is about two siblings , Jem and Scout, who live in a small town called Maycomb. Their father Atticus, is a well known lawyer, who is defending an African American that was accused of raping a white women. Throughout the novel, Jem and Scout are introduced to discrimination and learn that it’s an everlasting problem. Prejudice and discrimination are important themes in To Kill a Mockingbird because of racism, sexism, and ageism.

Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters develop and mature in unique ways. Boo, who fears talking to others, Aunt Alexandra, who is against people of other races or social classes, and Scout, who is young and is not aware of life’s challenges, constantly suppress their emotions and personality. Their life choices and decisions that they make throughout the book, lead them to be more accepting of others and less prejudice. As the book progresses, Boo, Aunt Alexandra, and Scout learn life lessons and develop into mature adults.

Atticus Finch is widely regarded as one of the most influential characters in modern literature. His pivotal role in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee exemplifies this influence and demonstrates his positive effect on his children, Jem and Scout. Throughout the novel, Atticus leads by example and provides lessons and teachings for his children to follow. His wisdom proves to be an instrumental part in the maturation and development of his children, and helps them to grow, learn, and adapt to the changing world around them. Atticus Finch teaches his children important lessons by forcing Jem read to Mrs. Dubose, remaining pacifistic, and defending Tom Robinson; therefore, he is a beneficial father and role model for his children.

Some people never change – you just get to know them better. To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a complex novel about a young girl, Scout, learning about the world of Maycomb with her brother Jem and friend Dill. Harper Lee uses To Kill a Mockingbird to show how the perception of the unknown changes with age and knowledge through Bildungsroman and Othering aspects throughout the novel. This is mainly displayed in Scout’s constantly changing idea of, and attitude towards, Boo Radley.

Harper Lee uses her novel to teach us important lessons from the characters presented in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus, a fair and moral character, whose parenting style is unique, lined with honest and example, teaches us to follow his ways. Scout, an innocent girl who teaches us what’s important in life. Tom Robinson, someone who is ostracized for being African American, can teach us the importance of equal treatment and awakens us to our surrounding society. Lee’s construction of characters gives us perspective to issues in our society today, how they still matter and what we can learn from the novel such as compassion, justice and understanding.