Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is regarded as one of the best works in American literature, but does this mean that the book should be considered a timeless classic? This novel is about a young girl named Scout who is growing up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s, a time of extreme racism and discrimination. The story centers around a trial where Scout’s father, Atticus, must defend an African American man accused of raping a white woman. In order for a book to be considered a timeless classic, it must include characters that are both dynamic and relatable to the readers. A dynamic character is one that changes in personality or attitude, making them seem more realistic and authentic. Being relatable is another crucial …show more content…
When Scout comes home after being attacked by Bob Ewell, she tells Atticus and Heck Tate what had happened, explaining that the man in the corner had saved Jem. As Scout looks at him, recognition slowly dawns on her, and she says to him, “Hey, Boo” (362). Boo Radley had always been a mysterious figure in the children’s lives. In the beginning of the novel, the children had heard numerous rumors about the Radleys being evil and frightening, and Scout had judged him based on the stories she heard around town, leading her to think of Boo as a “malevolent phantom” (10). Scout and Jem treated Boo with a fascination, playing mean games and invading his privacy, without stopping to think how he would feel. However, as Scout grew up, she slowly began to understand Boo and the way he acted, and found out that he was actually kind and caring. By saying, “Hey, Boo”, Scout is finally acknowledging Boo as a real person, not just a childhood fantasy, and she is able to see Boo for who he truly is. Her change in perspective demonstrates how much she has matured over the course of the story, which also presents the idea that she is a dynamic character. Scout is relatable, too. When Scout follows Atticus to the county jail, she sees a large group of men approaching him, and without thinking, runs into the crowd. When she realized that one of the men is Mr. Cunningham, someone she knows from previous meetings, she starts a conversation with him, saying,“Hey Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment gettin’ along? I go to school with Walter. He’s in my grade and he does right well. He’s a good boy” (205). Completely unaware that Mr. Cunningham was part of a lynch mob intending to kill Tom Robinson, Scout begins to converse with him. By bringing up
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 start of the novel Scout and Jem are both terrified of “Boo” Radley. To them, he is a malicious phantom, scarcely even human, the source of all evil and crimes in Maycomb County. Little do they know, Boo will, one day, save their lives. The children’s relationship with Boo Radley changes drastically over time. At first being one of fear and tormenting on the children’s part, it slowly changes to curiosity and finally into one of kindness and friendship. At first Boo, to the children, is nothing
Boo is a very important character in the book, in fact, the novel opens with Scout and her interactions with Boo and is closed by it too. Scout learns about Boo though the gossip passed on through neighbors in the community. The stories are scary and many out of context, however, Scout doesn’t seem to notice this till after the trial. At the beginning of the book she plays a game that involves Boo, and she tries to torment him into coming out. When Scout describes Boo Radley she says, "People said 'Boo' Radley went out at night and peeped in people’s windows. That he breathed on flowers and they froze instantly. They said he committed little crimes in the night but not one ever saw him." This shows that Scout sees Boo as an object of fascination instead of a human being. She does not acknowledge that he has emotions or feelings, she just views him as a monster who does horrible things to people. Furthermore, we can learn that Boo is not a very loved or respected figure in the community due to his strange way of living. As the trial takes place Scout matures and her level of complex thinking increases, but it is not until October 24th that we see how her perception of Boo changes since in the trial she saw how badly they treated Tom Robinson and she directly connected it to Boo “I hugged him and said, “Yes, sir. Mr. Tate was right, it’d be sort of
Scout stands up for Walter Cunningham and says "That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothing's wrong with him."(p304). Scout realizes that Walter Cunningham is not the way he is by choice but because his life holds him back by seeing what it would be like to be him. When Scout goes on the Radley's porch and thinks about how things would look like through Boo's eyes she realizes "Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley's porch was enough"(p.374). When Scout was younger she believed that Boo was this monster because of all the rumors that were spread about him but in reality Boo is this kind man who is kind to Jem and Scout. After realizing this Scout now sees hat Atticus was right and that she she shouldn't judge someone just by things she hears and people might do what they do for a
From Star Wars to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn timeless classics exist in multiple contrasting formats and outlines. They all come in with their own unique stories and differences that make each one a must read. However, there are many things that make one timeless classic similar to another. Two important criteria that make a timeless classic include the kind of experiences it presents and the well-rounded symbols it uses to enhance the theme. These two criteria are important for a timeless classic to be relevant because they can directly correlate with the life of a reader or send them a valuable message; this is exactly what Harper Lee presents in To Kill A Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is undoubtedly a timeless classic as depicted through the vivid and well rounded symbols it presents to enhance themes and the relevant, relatable experiences the protagonist Scout undergoes, which can directly be applied to any person even in the present day.
Scout, Jem, and Dill work many summers to try to get Boo to come out of the Radley house for the first time in many years. Jem had been told many things about Boo in his short years in Maycomb, and he tells his sister Scout about the ‘monster’, saying, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats 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 drooled most of the time” (chap. 1). Jem’s ideas about Boo are very biased toward rumors that can be heard around Maycomb. This shows how Maycomb’s people often judge before they know, seeing as no one has seen Boo Radley in over twenty years and people are prejudiced to believing the unknown is always bad. Prejudice and rumors can often not be trusted and Boo Radley is no exception. After Miss Maudie’s house catches fire and half the town rushes outside to watch it burn, Atticus tells Scout, “someday you should thank him for covering you up” then Scout asks, “Thank Who?” And gets a response from Atticus, “Boo Radley. You were too busy looking at the fire, you didn’t even notice when he put the blanket around you” (chap. 8). Boo Radley is not really a bad person, he
Scout struggles, with varying degrees of success, to put Atticus’s advice into practice and to live with understanding toward others. She doesn’t turn away from Walter Cunningham Jr. just because he is poor and made her get in trouble. At the end of the book, Scout succeeds in comprehending Boo Radley’s perspective. After she drops him off at his house, Scout takes a moment to survey the rest of the world from the Radley porch. “...Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” Scout imagines many of the events of the story (Atticus shooting the mad dog, the children finding Boo’s presents in the oak tree) as they must have looked to Boo. She finally realizes the love and protection that he has silently offered her and Jem from the beginning.
A character trait is the aspect of a person's behavior and attitudes that make up their personality. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is known to have strong characterization. One of the most important characters is Atticus Finch, a highly respected lawyer in Macomb County and a father to Jem and Scout Finch. Two major character traits Atticus truly represents is compassion and understanding.
Imagine you are a lawyer tasked with an impossible case, and everybody in your community is against you, but still there is a shred of hope you cling to. What might that be you ask? That to which you cling are your morals. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch had been given the Tom Robinson case, where a black man was convicted of raping a white woman. As a single father of two children, he continues to reinforce his values throughout the trial and during his daunting task of raising his children. In To Kill A Mockingbird what Harper Lee suggests about the nature of morals is that you should try to stand up for what you believe in even if people oppose or reject your ideals. Even when faced with an insurmountable opposition you should stand up for your morals because in the end if your don't follow your beliefs you are just contributing to the problem. We should try to create a voice for what we believe in and impress that upon the next generation so they can continue to exercise their beliefs to make the world a better place.
At the beginning of the story, Jem and Scout was young , childish and lacked the ability to see things from other's point of view. From the children's point-of-view, their most compelling neighbor is Boo Radley, a man that always stay in his house and none of them has ever seen. During the summer , they find Boo as a chracacter of their amusement. They sneak over to Boo house and get a peek at him. They also acting out an entire Radley family. "Jem parceled out our roles: I was Mrs. Radley, and all I had to do was come out andsweep the porch. Dill was old Mr. Radley: he walked up and down the sidewalk andcoughed when Jem spoke to him. Jem, naturally, was Boo: he went under the frontsteps and shrieked and howled from time to time"(chapter 4). Eventually , Atticus catch them and order
testing his respect, courage, and mental strength to their fullest extent. Atticus is widowed and is forced to raise his two kids, Scout and Jem, with the help of Calpurnia, the maid of the household. Atticus chooses to take the court case of Mr.Tom Robinson, a colored man, in Maycomb County. Maycomb happens to be a very prejudice town set during the Great Depression. He takes this case knowing that most of the towns people will resent him for it. This is where Atticus has to choose between what he thinks is right and what others will think of him throughout different situations in the book.
Scout loses her innocence when she learns the most important lesson of her life, empathy. All her childhood, Scout tried to get Boo Radley, a man who was seen as a ghost since he remained in his house, to come out. However after communicating with Boo for the first time, Scout sees that Boo probably did not want anyone to find him. She feels bad that she spent so much time trying to get him to come out. Scout also shows a sign of maturity when she no longer fears Boo, which she has always been scared of before.
Scout and the other children were determined to learn more about Boo Radley, despite being told horror stories about Boo. ""Arthur Radley just stays in the house, that's all,' said Miss Maudie. "Wouldn't you stay in the house if you didn't want to come out?" "Yessum, but I'd wanta come out. Why doesn't he?"" (58 Lee) Scout's childhood curiosity causes her to want to know the truth about Boo Radley. The rest of the town is content with allowing Boo continue to stay within the confines of his house. The rest of the town is also okay with not knowing the true story about Boo. However, this is not the case for Scout. Scout's inner curiosity allows her to ask questions that many others would not ask, or do not care to ask. Due to this the reader is provided with extra information about Boo Radley. This information was obtained by Scout who was not content with the horror stories that she was told. Overall, Scout's youthful curiosity allows her to obtain information on the characters around her for the
Harper Lee's classic story, To Kill A Mockingbird, features an adventurous and compassionate main character, Scout, who is similar to a young boy named Louis. Throughout the novel, Scout continuously finds herself in tricky situations that highlight these characteristics, which are some of her strongest traits. Although Louis is a ten-year-old boy from Pennsylvania, he exhibits the same spirit as young Scout from Alabama.
When analyzing children there are many characteristics and traits that are shown. Many children of young ages show their characteristics through the way they act such as, their attitude towards the things they do on a daily basis. When people think about children, they usually refer to most children as immature, enthusiastic, or very observant. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the young girl, Scout is an intelligent, courageous, and stubborn child, who deals with social issues throughout the Great Depression.