In To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the characters in the book, Boo Radley, is perceived as a very violent and unintelligent individual compared to the average Maycomb citizen. Boo is labeled with this classification because when he was 33, he was using scissors to cut out newspaper articles and he suddenly stabbed his father, Mr. Radley, in the leg and went back to cutting the paper immediately after. After more consideration of the book, however, Boo could be depicted by numerous people as a nice person and just distressed by his current home situation. The motive for his unexpected aggression possibly was not because he was crazy, but because he had been locked away in his house for years as a consequence of a minor incident with the law
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 Boo is a mockingbird because he is innocent, and was put under the burden of the towns out of date views of society.
Boo Radley is a mysterious and suspicious character, where throughout the beginning and middle of the book, Scout, Jem, and Dill have a preconception of him being a mean, old man. At the ending of the book, when Boo saves the children from Mr. Ewell, Scout sees how she prejudiced him based on other people’s beliefs. Boo is one of the most misunderstood characters of the book, starting out as a fantasy and a monster, but then he turns out to be very thoughtful, brave, and kind.
Initially, Boo is reclusive and seems unhinged. The children gossip that “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). While the children gossip about Boo Radley, it is brought to light that Boo had apparently stabbed his father and was known to stir up violence. The dark rumors of him committing violent acts towards others characterizes Boo as a despicable monster who is known to incite violence. Lee includes Boo’s acts of violence to highlight how, to the people of Maycomb, Boo’s appears to be savage and aloof.
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.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the reader is introduced to a character known as Boo Radley who is thought to be a monster or a horrible person, but is later a hero to Jem and Scout Finch. Scout is the narrator of the story and one of the main characters, Jem is Scouts brother and is with her when she tells the story, and Boo is a character who stays in his house and never comes out. At first Jem and Scout hear rumors about how Boo Radley joined a gang, skipped church, harassed and assaulted people, and acted as a scoundrel, in the novel it states “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).According to the Quote that shows that
Boo wasn’t allowed to leave his house often, meaning he was at home locked up for days. At an early adult age, Boo had a outburst, while he was scrapbooking his dad walked past and he triggered a feeling resulting in him stabbing his dad. “‘[...] Boo drove scissors into his pant’s legs [...]” (Lee 13) As everything went by, Boo was calm during the whole commotion. Since no Radley will be sent to the asylum, Mr. Radley insisted by not charging Boo with anything. So they locked him up in the courthouse basement. Being left in the cold, moldy courthouse basement for awhile was definitely unhealthy mentally and physically. Soon upon that his dad took him back into his house. Many people would say “ [...] he was high-strung at times.” (14) Being locked up not only in his house but also in the towns courthouse basement probably affected him in some way. When he was spotted a few times around town as people would re-call he would’ve look
The title of the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee holds a great deal of symbolism with several of the characters in the story acting as mockingbirds, characters who don’t do anything to bother the people around them. Harper Lee explains to the reader what a mockingbird is by making Atticus, and then Mrs. Maudie explains it to Scout. “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 bluejays 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 fathers right,’ she said. ‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music
1-2 The author depicts Boo Radley as a very haunting character, there to put suspense into the story. I think he may have a big impact in the story later on. The narrator Scout, and Dill and Jem often mess around the Radley house, daring each other to touch the porch. Scout is very smart, as she can already read as she starts school. Miss.
People aren’t always what we think they are and yet we still expect people to be the stereotypes society runs off of. Maycomb too suffers from this “usual disease” especially with regard to Boo Radley. Everyone in Maycomb County makes fun of Boo, Arthur Radley, without even knowing him: “Boo was about six and a half feet tall […]; he dined on raw squirrels...” (13). This quote explains one of the many urban myths Maycomb and the children have built around Boo.
In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley is not the best person. According to the story, Boo drove a pair of scissors into his dad's leg. While Boo was cutting out a newspaper for his scrapbook, he stabbed his dad purposely with scissors. What type of person would do this? Another reason Boo is a bad person is because a quote says “Boo drinks a lot and has been getting arrested.”. If you are under the age of 21 you should not be drinking. Also, Boo has gotten arrested and taken into the courthouse basement for being drunk. The third reason Boo is a bad person is because a quote says “Mr. Radley kept Boo chained to the bed.”. The only reason a parent would do this to their kid is if they kept going out and getting in trouble. No parent
The citizens of Maycomb have many theories about Boo’s life and about his personality. The most common theory is that he is dangerous and insane. Miss Stephanie said, “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”. It is also common thought that “When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work”. Boo Radley was considered a morbid phantom in Maycomb. Because of the public’s view of Boo, it would be daring for him to go out in public. People may hurt him if they see him as a threat or they might run away in terror. These risks made it even more admirable for Boo to risk his life to save the lives of Jem and Scout towards the end of the novel. Although he was under the cover of darkness, it was courageous of Boo to emerge from his home since he could have still been
Boo Radley is a somewhat minor character in To Kill A Mockingbird, but he played a big role. Scout originally judges him by his choice to stay inside and the rumors that fly around Maycomb, but the only thing Boo Radley did for Scout and Jem was protect them. They learn to not believe everything you hear and not to judge someone based on their choices. Boo Radley made a change in Scout and helped the theme, which is don't judge someone based on color or situation and that's why I think he's important. Jem and Scout believed all the rumors of Boo Radley.
In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee demonstrates that there’s good in everyone, even if they’ve done bad. She uses various characters, such as Tom Robinson, to teach us, despite facing false accusations of rape and enduring prejudice. He still stands to be honest and respectful to everyone, despite the color of their skin. She also used the character Boo Radley, who, despite being hated by the community, shows his compassion by giving the kids gifts and ultimately saving their lives in the end. The last character that she uses to get her point across is Maycomb County.
did not allow anyone to visit him or have the slightest contact with him. Eventually Boo's mental state triggers him to stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. Boo's fathers causes Boo to suffer innocently by stealing his childhood experiences away from him. This indicates that Boo is a mockingbird because he did very little to deserve this torment and isolation that his father inflicted upon him. Then, Jem and Scout from the beginning of the story never fully understood Boo's past life at all, yet they judged him on things they hear about. They suspect he was basically an evil monster that never comes out of his house. Scout starts the stereotyping by creating a nickname “Boo” for the innocent Arthur Radley. This nickname robs Arthur of his true name and identity, causing him to suffer. Furthermore, Jem and Scout constantly pester Boo in an attempt to discover his actual identity. They tell their best friend Dill that Boo is like a zombie. Jem describes Boo as being: “About six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cat he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained-if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he and he drooled most of the time” (Lee 13). The stereotypical image created by Jem completely robs Boo
Why just why was racism so bad back in the 1800-1900 and still is today. The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee she takes us through a journey about the old day life and how people did it. She will be telling us about Boo, Jem, Dill, Scout, And Atticus. Boo Radley is a caring person always changing people's life and day. Supporting text is the Boo Radley gives Scout a brown blanket to comfort her, Also he leaves the gifts for the cids in the tree, And he gives back Jem's pants after he flees the radley's porch.