Scout implied that if Heck Tate turned Boo Radley in, an innocent person, it would be sinful. Boo Radley has never done anything bad and the one time he tried to help and reveal himself he is accused for a crime. It would be a sin for us to hang a mockingbird. Heck Tate knew so he tried to explain it to Atticus that it was self-defense but Atticus couldn't accept it. He forces his decision to be final to keep Boo Radley safe. Boo is definitely a mockingbird in this novel. He gave Jem and Scout presents, sowed Jem's pants back and the covered Scout with a blanket. All he does is give and give just like a Mockingbird and is filled with innocence. He nearly gave his life to save Jem and Scout but saved the kids just in time and thanks to Heck
Scout, Jem, and Dill then discuss why Boo stays hidden. This is when Dill explained, “Maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to runoff too” (Lee 192). Dill suggest that Boo might have been through a l;ot and doesn’t have any loved ones to go to. We then realize Boo symbolizes innocence being destroyed because when he was little he has had no one to care for or love. One of the most memorable scenes is when Atticus and Heck Tate realize that Boo killed Bob Ewell. They discuss whether or not to expose him but Scout comes in and states “well, it’d be sort of like shootin a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 370). Scout believes that by exposing Boo to the public after all these years of him locked in his house, it would be like killing an innocent mockingbird. At this moment Boo Radley officially becomes a mockingbird.
Even though he kept to himself he was still accused of doing terrible things like driving 'scissors into his parent's leg' and dining 'on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch'. Apart from these completely unfair and unproven accusations he also was subjected to solitary confinement in his 'home'. All this was because he had a mental illness, and all he ever did was do the best that he could with the mind that he had. Boo Radley is a mockingbird because he is kind, gentle and always tries his best. Like Tom, he was thrown into a bad situation by the townsfolk and their biased and inaccurate views. That forced him to to react as best he could which was 'killing' Bob Ewell. He saved Jem and Scout, who where kids who had previously suspected him to be a monster, and that he had even previously left 'perfect miniatures' of them, for them. Although by some peoples standards, killing is never the 'right' option, Boo did what he thought was right, and he saved the kids lives. Boo is a mockingbird because he is innocent, and was put under the burden of the towns out of date views of society.
They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (chapter 10). One of the Character who fits the symbolic meaning of mockingbird is Boo Radley. He is a man who is regarded as mysterious and dangerous by the community . He shows his goodness by giving gifts to the children and saving their lives. Doing no harm to others and expects nothing to return. Just like it is sin to kill a mockingbird, in this case, Boo should not be kill . That's why Heck Tate insists Bob Ewell fell on his own
However, Tom Robinson is not the only mockingbird in the story. Boo Radley is another harmless creature who falls victim of cruelty. He is unjustly regarded as an evil person and used as the scapegoat for all the bad happenings around town. Women are afraid of him and so are children. When the sheriff decided that he would not arrest Boo Radley for killing Bob Ewell and that would present his death as an accident, Atticus asked Scout if she understood the meaning of this decision. Scout replied that she did. Her exact words were: "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" (282). Boo here is also compared to the gentle bird and again it would be a 'sin' to punish him. The symbol of the mockingbird can be applied to Boo Radley from another point of view as well. The mockingbird has no song of its own. It just imitates other birds. Therefore it makes itself present and is seen through other birds. In the same way, Boo Radley is seen through the eyes of other people. He does not have a character of his own. What the reader knows about him is what other people say. He is believed to " dine on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, his hands were
Boo can be considered a mockingbird because of his innocence that he portrays in the book. In particular, Miss Maudie described a mockingbird and said “They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.” (P.119). This quote perfectly characterizes Boo because he never harassed anyone and only did good. Boo always stayed inside his house and rarely left it. Boo did only good such as, watching over all the kids and protecting them when things got bad. In addition, Atticus tells Jem “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” (P.30). After Jem finds out who Boo really is, she sees that he is a nice and innocent person who does only good, which shows that he can be considered a mockingbird. To summarize, Boo’s personality and his way of life shows how he can be considered a mockingbird in the
Scout shows her phenomenal understanding of life when she says, “"Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed him with all my might. 'Yes sir, I understand,' I reassured him. 'Mr. Tate was right.' Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. 'What do you mean?' 'Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?' (Lee 276). When Scout says this she means that Boo Radley has never harmed a soul and it is a sin to bring him to trial, just like a mockingbird. This makes Atticus very proud and shows the reader Scouts immense development as a moral
However, if he was tried according to the law, Boo would have gone to jail for what he did. Even though he did something wrong it was for the right cause. Heck Tate and Atticus decide to lie for the sake of Boo Radley from the consequences for what he had done. Atticus lies saying Jem killed Bob Ewell since Jem can’t stand trial. Heck Tate goes with it and says Bob Ewell fell on his knife.
On Halloween night, while the children were walking home. Bob Ewell attempted to kill them with a kitchen knife. Heck Tate insisted to Atticus to tell the people of Maycomb, Bob Ewell fell on his knife instead it was Boo Radley who killed him, “…taking the man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight-to me that’s a sin”(370). Boo Radley saved the children’s lives by killing Bob Ewell, giving him credit for that would render him unwanted attention, not something he would be able to survive. Heck Tate went against the law by letting Boo Radley continue to live in the darkness, however the rules could not be followed in this
Boo Radley demonstrated personal stewardship toward Jem and Scout discreetly and openly. In the beginning, Boo would leave treasures in the tree for Scout and Jem to find. Without the children's knowledge Boo was watching out for them. Boo covered Scout with a blanket the night of the house fire without being noticed, and Boo saved the children's lives in the end. Boo remained a protector of the children, even though he was aware of their beliefs of himself.
Isabella Scott Mr. Abney English 9CP Per. 3 6 December 6, 2014 Essay In Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author characterized Boo Radley in a way that paralleled Maya Angelou, showing how their expanding perspective of prejudice lead to their aspiration to overcome false beliefs created by ignorant people.
After the fire on a cold winter night in Maycomb, Scout, an innocent and curious young girl, and Jem’s views regarding the people of the town advance. Prior to the fire, the kids played games and joked about Boo Radley, dared each other to go near his house, and described him as a “malevolent phantom”. Therefore, they have an obscure view of Boo Radley to the point that he seems like a myth, as they “had never seen him” (10). However, by covering Scout in a blanket while they stand outside, Boo Radley conclusively confirms his existence to the kids. Furthermore, the fire destroys Miss Maudie’s house; yet, she remains positive, which “puzzle[s] [Scout]” (97). Not only does the fire alter the kids’ opinions on Maycomb, but also, its destructiveness
Heck Tate tries to protect Boo Radley in this text excerpt and tries to get Atticus to understand that and why Heck Tate does this. This is the third time that the reader sees Heck Tate as someone other than an authority figure and the second time the reader sees him as a protector; the first time being when Heck Tate warns Atticus of the angry mob that planned to lynch Tom Robinson. Although justice has not been made, avengeance has been served, which is, in a way a form of justice; poetic justice. Heck Tate wants Tom Robinson to ‘bury’ Bob Ewell This cause the reader to firmly believe that Harper Lee wants the reader to take from this
Leslie Miller Archie 5th Period Mrs. McCord 1. How do Scout, Jem, and Dill characterize Boo Radley at the beginning of the book? In what way did Boo's history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell? Does this repetition of aggression make him more or less of a sympathetic character? Scout and Jem imagine that Boo is over six feet tall and insanely ugly, a monster who strangles cats with his bare hands and then eats them.
than the rest of us. If you were not as I think you are, then
He is innocent of all of the claims and stories made up about him. He is robbed of friendship and trust with the entire town and is hurt by the cruel remarks made by the townsfolk. He had never done anything to harm anyone or anything in his lifetime; instead he strove to help people whenever he could, but tried to help them as best he could without being seen or noticed. One cold night when Scout Finch was standing frozen cold outside the Radley house, Boo secretly slipped a blanket over Scout’s shoulders to give her warmth. He also gave the two children, Jem and Scout, a few presents in a knot hole of a tree to show his compassion and warm heart. He even helped to protect the two children when Bob Ewell tried to murder them both. These examples show his innocence and that he is obviously not a monster. Scout comes to realise that he has inner goodness that must be cherished, alike a mockingbird. The town had committed a sin by harming him from the cruel things they had made up about him. And it was a sin when Tom Robinson, an innocent man, was killed when it came to his turn in the novel.