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To Kill A Mockingbird Boo Radley Quotes

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells a story of Scout Finch and her older brother, Jem, in the 1930's Alabama. In the beginning Scout, starts out as a very undeveloped child not knowing the prejudice times nearby, as the story progress she gains awareness of these times. Arthur "Boo" Radley remains an outsider who never sets foot outside his house. However he stands for a powerful symbol of goodness and innocence, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem in the knothole and saving the children at a well-timed moment. He represents the main "mockingbird" in the novel, a moral person damaged by the evil of society. Throughout the novel many would argue that Tom Robinson stands for the mockingbird throughout the story, but Boo Radley remains …show more content…

"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 down, and peeped in windows" (9) This quote by Scout shows that since Boo Radley remains isolated and stays in the house away from the people in Maycomb, people just starts conversations and gossiping about Boo Radley even if they don't know for sure what really occurred or even seen him. Since Boo Radley is isolating himself from society the community would always gossip about him, which gives him a bad reputation. So Boo Radley will end up not having any friends and he'll continue isolating himself from society, but all this gossiping does not show the true Boo Radley. Even though no one knows him, as the story progresses we see that Boo turns out very kind and caring. "Atticus said to Jem one day, "I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. 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." (90) Atticus said this to Jem for this reason: Mockingbirds only sing and make nice music for the humans and it would not be fair for Jem to shoot them for pleasure. This can connect with Boo Radley and compare to the mockingbird because he doesn't do anything to harm but instead do nothing my good. Boo Radley represents the mockingbird in the sorry since he does nothing but good for the community and does not harm anyone or

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