Scouts Maturation through the Evil in the World Harper Lees, To Kill a Mockingbird is a very complex novel that has many plots and many evils. Lee tells of an innocent black man accused of rape by a detestable family. She also tells of a man locked up in his house and isolated from the rest of the world. The narrator, Scout, learns about this turpitude, and this ultimately leads to her maturation throughout the story. The three main heinous acts are the way Tom Robinson is treated, the way Boo Radley is isolated from the rest of the world, and the way Bob Ewell commits the unspeakable. One of the main evils in the story is the way Tom Robinson is accused and convicted of rape. At the start of the book Scout calls those who …show more content…
Although what happens to Tom Robinson is tragic, in a way it is good for Scout because it helps her mature and truly believe that 'there"s just one kind of folks. Folks.' Another evil in the story that contributes to Scout"s maturation is the way that Boo Radley is locked up in his house and kept away from the rest of the world. When Dill first arrived, Scout believed Jem"s description of Boo Radley, '"'Six-and-a-half feet tall....a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time (pg. 13). Scout was so naive that she believed anything that anyone said about Boo and never put herself in his skin. Scout was also very small-minded because she thought that because Boo was different, he was evil.- Towards the end of the story Scout is not afraid of Boo she is only curious which is apparent in the quote, ''But I still looked for him each time I went by. Maybe someday we would see him (pg. 242).' After seeing how horrible people could be treated in the Tom Robinson trial, Scout began to get a more open-mind and turn her fright of Boo Radley into curiosity. This shows that Scout is maturing greatly and is beginning to understand that one of the only reasons people are thought to be evil, is that they are different. Finally, Scout
She described to the readers that “…our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears. ‘Hey Boo’, I said” (270). This is the first and definite indication that Boo is a good man. Even though Scout had never seen him before, she realizes who he is. Scout is brought to tears because this is the first time that she realizes that the man that she used to fear the most had cared about her and saved her life. The fact that she notices this shows her mental growth undoubtedly. After Boo had saved the children, Mr. Tate explained to Atticus that they should cover up for Boo, the man who had just stabbed Bob Ewell, and Atticus finally agreed. He wasn’t sure if Scout had understood all that was said and done until Scout describes,
At the end of To Kill a Mockingbird Scout and Jem were almost brutally stabbed and suffocated by Bob Ewell. However, Boo came out of his house them. This took him so much courage as he was afraid of the world outside of his “prison”. His love for the children drove him to do this. Even though in the beginning he did a small bit of bad, he is truly a“mockingbird”. Boo was even referenced by Scout as a mockingbird after he saved Jem and her’s life by killing their attacker. When Boo’s actions were to be covered up, she stated, “Well it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird (by giving Boo undesired attention), wouldn’t it?” (Lee 370). Miss Maudie's quote morphed into describing Boo, just one of many ways it was seen in the book.
Tom Robinson’s character exemplifies the mockingbird because he is a black man who is denied justice based on racial prejudice. After Mayella Ewell accuses Tom of rape, there is no way for him to be judged fairly because the narrow-minded, white townspeople are unable to get past their prejudices towards blacks. At his trial, Tom’s lawyer, Atticus, argues,
Next, Scout and Jem learn how to have empathy for those who are misunderstood. Scout and Jem learn this through experiences with Boo Radley. Everyone in Macomb makes Boo out to be a mysterious and extremely dangerous, animal-like individual. The kids hear new rumors daily about Boo, and they begin to get curious. Scout, Jem and Dill all try to spy on Boo. They are determined to get him to come out of his house so that they can see the monster that everyone claims he is. Atticus soon catches on to what the kids are doing. He tells the kids that they need to leave Boo alone. What they hear about Boo
In the beginning of the novel the kids have an impression that boo is an evil phantom , ‘‘Inside the house lives a malevolent phantom. People said he existed but Jem and I had never seen him.’’ Scout is assuming that Boo is a “phantom” but she says that she and Jem have never seen him. Nobody can really judge Boo because nobody has seen him. Later on, Scout is able to see Boo, but surprisingly sees that “He was going around the corner. He was carrying Jem. Jem’s arm was dangling crazily in front of her. By the time I reached the corner the man was crossing our front yard. Light from our front door framed Atticus for an instant; he ran down the steps, and together, he and the man took Jem inside." Boo saved Jem from Bob Ewell. Although many people looked at Boo Radley as an evil dangerous man Scout was able to see that he was just a misunderstood man who was kind and shy. Therefore through the eyes of a child, she was able to understand that people may judge others on appearance, but once you are able to see the true personality of that human being, perspectives can
When he shows that he isn 't a bad person, it shows how gossip has affected him so much that he needs to prove them wrong and show the good of his heart. Jem and Scout are fascinated and long to see Boo, but Scout is not sad when she sees that Boo isn 't freakishly large and bloody, but is glad to see a human, that might of just saved her and Jem 's life.
Tom Robinson is another mockingbird figure. He was a genuinely caring person who is destroyed by his willingness to help Mayella Ewell. Just like a mockingbird, Robinson never hurt anyone. Yet, he was also persecuted by society for his kindness and his race. Tom Robinson was killed because of his kindness and the color of his skin; “ a harmless songbird that was shot down by a senseless hunter.” Lee uses the character of Tom as a mockingbird figure to express the innocence of the mockingbird and exhibit the narrow-mindedness and biased opinions of the towns folk.
I have read chapters sixteen through twenty-three in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In these chapters the Tom Robinson trial has occurred. Tom is being accused of taking advantage of Mayella Ewell. In this journal, I will be characterizing Tom Robinson.
Similar to the story, Scout finds out that Boo is actually a generous and friendly individual. In the end, Scout changes to be an accepting person from because of ArthurBoo Radley.She learns not to judge Boo, by having the courage to go against the society that discriminates people who are different. Once she spends time with Boo, develops empathy for him, and focuses on what they have in common, then she begins to understand and accept him. Through Boo Radley, Scout becomes an accepting person by learning to not to judge someone just based on rumors that have a high probability of being wrong.
Tom Robinson was a very helpful man and a hard worker, yet after Mayella Ewell sexually assaulted him he was put to trial for his life. In the trial the Ewells testify that Tom raped and beat Mayella,
When children grow up, there are always people they need in there life to help them be mature. There is family members, friends, idols, and teachers. In to kill a Mockingbird, it shows racism, courage, family status. This novel is told by from a maturing girl’s perspective named scout. Her challenges of seeing racism and the side of depression in this world,which she experienced in a little town, Maycomb. There are many characters that help scout throughout her experience all of this and realizing things that go on in this world. Three main characters that help scout come of age are Atticus Finch, Jem, and friends around.
To Kill a Mockingbird Essay - Perspectives on Boo Radley No one in Maycomb would ever think of going anywhere near the Radley house, that is because Boo lives there. He is the most feared person in Maycomb by far. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird the character Boo Radley is depicted as someone extremely mysterious since no one has ever actually met him. He has always been ‘locked up’ in his house and never came out.
Boo Radley had impacted Scouts learning and development throughout the story. This is because Boo Radley was once the scary man living in a haunted house to the man who had saved Scout’s life by Bob Ewell.Jem and Scout had gone through a traumatizing experience after sneaking around at the Radley place. when they try to get a glimpse at Boo, a man began to chase them with the shotgun. “ Jem leaped off the porch and galloped toward us. He flung open the gate, danced Dill and me through, and shoed us between two rows of swishing collards. Halfway through the collards I tripped, as I tripped the roar of a shotgun shattered the neighborhood” (Lee 53). Scout has just had conflict with someone at the Radley place. after this experience, she begins to make better decisions rather than acting childish. Later on in the text, she found out that food was never the antagonist. she had been saved by him and finally saw what he looks like. Scout begins to describe Boo . “ I looked from his hands to sand stained khaki pants; my eyes traveled up his thin frame to his torn denim shirt. His face was white as his hands, but for a shadow on his jutting chin. His cheeks were thin to hollowness; his temples, and his gray eyes were so colorless I thought he was blind” (Lee 270).She finally sees Boo after
In Tom Robinson’s circumstance, he is an innocent individual despite many claims and inaccurate testimonies. Tom Robinson had a relatively moral-filled life, providing affection and comfort toward his wife and children. However, it seems as though he has been in trouble with the law before due to disorderly conduct. In defiance of this minor conviction, Tom Robinson had not performed major unethical practices towards anyone in the town. Tom brought nothing but joy and delightfulness to the world. Unfortunately, allegations brought forth by Bob Ewell, framed Tom Robinson of raping Bob’s daughter. This occurrence was declined by evidence and even Robinson himself, but to no avail. In the end, Robinson was convicted guilty despite the numerous amounts of information suggesting that Bob Ewell was the real criminal in the situation. Later in the novel, it is learnt that Tom Robinson is killed by authorities whilst trying to escape from the prison. Through Tom Robinson’s story, the indications leave to believe that Tom himself was metaphorically, a mockingbird. As Miss Maudie had explained it, it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, due to its innocence in the world.
There are a few things I fear came across about me as I reread my essays. In my first essay I may have come across as bitter. Looking back at my experiences, I'm grateful for the Mormon Church and all the relationships I've formed and learning opportunities that arose because of it. And my bishop is a great guy. I just didn't like the expectation of following a predetermined path. I suppose that one sentiment clouded out the positives of the religion.