Why Is Boo Radley Unfair

One character to experience prejudice is Arthur “Boo” Radley. Jem and Scout have no clue What Boo looks like or how he acts, yet they describe him like,”Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall...he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained…”(Lee,16). They have no idea what kind of person he is or what he looks like. But Jem and Scout still describe him

References to the title in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird suggest that both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are “mockingbirds.” The reader is lead to understand that the term suggests an innocent, harmless creature who should not be made to suffer. To Kill a Mockingbird is a sin. This book shows Tom Robinson and Boo Radley as mockingbirds. Boo Radley was the victim of harsh parenting and prejudgement. Tom Robinson was the victim of racism.

Boo Radley and Tom Robinson a very similar to each other, even though 1 is black and the other is white. Lee compares these two characters and proves that justice and compassion can overcome color and prejudice. The title of the book is a metaphor for both characters, they are both mockingbirds, but one mockingbird is shot and the other one is forced to kill. Boo and Tom are both handicapped and the author of this book hints around to make it seem that he is physically unhealthy. The author also makes a statement that the reader can assume that he is also mentally disabled when they read it. No character in the book, nor the author says anything about his disability. The reader can now wonder if Boo’s family protects his handicap or makes it

Before Atticus shot the rabid dog, Jem and Scout, as well as the reader had a difficult time understanding Atticus and his personal values. After the dog is shot, Jem and Scout realize that Atticus hides some of his talents for personal reasons. His background sheds light on the overall development of his character as well as goes hand in hand with the development of Maycomb itself.The town of Maycomb can get trapped in a recurring cycle of habits and ignorance that are usually either carried out by the people, or by individuals that demonstrate habitual behavior. For example, while talking to Jem, Atticus exclaims, “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep” (Lee 213). In the above example, Atticus is referring to how the jury convicted Tom Robinson despite clear evidence suggesting inevitably otherwise. The fact that the people on the jury convicted Tom, merely because of his race, shows that they are demonstrating negative habitual behavior as well as ignorance. The people’s instinctive racial discrimination parallels the way in which, despite there being movements against it, Maycomb is still segregated into multiple parts. In fact, the town's area for African Americans is entirely separate from the city itself. The way in which the

In our culture we place people in boxes, and attach stereotypes to different types of people. It is difficult to break free from the conventional ways of our pasts. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee a character defines the way we as a society view stereotypes. Boo Radley is an important character in To Kill a Mockingbird yet the only time we have actually witnessed him is the very last scene of the book. Readers only hear town gossip, and see small kindnesses from him in the form of trinkets hidden in trees.

There was an event in To Kill a Mockingbird that showed discrimination for a breed of man. As depicted in the book, Tom Robinson was being accused of raping a young lady by the name of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson was a middle aged black man. Mayella Ewell is a white girl. This was very distraught because of the fact that this was the time that whites were superior over any other minority. Tom was being held in a cell waiting for the trial to commence. Atticus Finch, the lawyer of Tom Robinson, decided to take a trip to the jail in which he was being held in. As he arrived, a squadron of cars pulled up. A group of white men stepped out of the vehicles and walked up to the jail in a sort of formation. These men had showed up on this afternoon to lynch Tom Robinson. Luckily, Scout Finch started talking to one of the men, Mr. Cunningham. She said,” Tell him [Walter] hey for me, won’t you?”. His son’s name was Walter Cunningham. He ended up feeling bad for what he was going to do, and called the men back. They did not end up lynching Tom. This connects to what happened in

Atticus is the only one in Maycomb that has the skills to shoot Tim Johnson. When the dog is near his neighborhood, the sheriff “Handed the rifle to Atticus” (Lee 126). The fact that the sheriff of Maycomb, a figure expected to save the town, hands Atticus the gun to get the job done establishes how Atticus is the only one with enough courage. Furthermore, this represents how he is also the only one with enough courage that can represent Tom Robinson. However, Atticus “shook his head vehemently” (Lee 127) trying to deny that he’s the only one with the courage to save the town. This establishes his fear of change and of missing the shot. He is fearful of changing his lifestyle back into his younger days when he was known as ‘Dead shot’. This

In conclusion, the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee has many examples of cruelty in the world, as shown by the characters Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Dolphus Raymond. Boo Radley’s case is more general, throughout the entire world. Because of the cruelty he sees, he decides to stay inside his house, not because he’s forced to, which is common belief in the neighborhood. Tom Robinson’s case is towards black

In the story, there is a mad dog that comes walking down the road. Atticus's kills the mad dog before it can cause any harm or damage. In a way, this mad dog represents the racism of the town. Atticus wants to kill all the racism in the town. The book states, “In a fog, Jem and I watched our father take the gun and walk out into the middle of the street… The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk… He didn't know what hit him.” Scout and Jem always thought their father was a boring and plain man. But when he shoots a dog right in front of them, their opinions change. Atticus Finch is considered the dead shot of Maycomb. Atticus strongly believes that racism needs to be ended. When he was teaching Scout a lesson he said, “ As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash” (Lee 220). Do you just anyone could shoot a dog right in front of their children?

Harper Lee depicts Tom Robinson to represent people that are misunderstood due to their race, therefore displaying the fact that misjudgments will lead to a change of someone’s life. Additionally, Boo Radley was misinterpreted by Scout when she felt that she was in a safe environment where it was acceptable to make assumptions about people. In that case, demonstrating the fact the one’s position in society can be negatively affected when rumors are created. Even though judging people can sometimes lead to positive outcomes, there are still situations where one is misconceived. As a result, when one has not fully understand the truth, judgments should not be

First and foremost, through the use of the character Boo Radley, Lee reveals the intense and difficult subject of prejudice based on the towns own ignorance. This leads to the fear and misunderstanding of Boo Radley. In the novel, Lee shows that Boo Radley would rather have a life staying in the comfort of his own domicile, then to come out and socialize with the townspeople (Lee pdf). From this, readers can see how the towns people might start to draw conclusions about who Boo Radley could be. In the town, it is normal for everyone to know each other, but with Boo Radley they know nothing about him.

The two episodes of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are similar in several ways, spite the fact that one man is white and the other man is black. Both of these two men can be seen as being the mockingbird of the title as they are innocent. However, in this case one mockingbird is shot and the other is forced to kill. Tom and Boo are juxtaposing characters because the justice and compassion from each of these men outweigh the boundary of color and race prejudices. The men are not just similar in personalities but also in physical appearances.

Tom Robinson becomes a mockingbird by only helping everyone and dying for his actions. Boo Radley is a recluse with an abusive father that earned mockingbird status through giving gifts, a blanket, and 2 kids lives. “when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things. Atticus, he was real nice.” “Most people are when you finally see them” These two quotes refer to the misunderstood nature of these two hardcore mockingbirds. The emotion added by this connection adds a lasting impact on the

Lee’s theme of non-conformity in the society is portrayed by Atticus putting his beliefs aside and shooting the dog, or in this case, racism. When the dog, Tim Johnson, is within shooting range, Heck the sheriff tries to give the gun to Atticus, but Atticus tries emphatically to get the sheriff to kill the dog by saying “I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years-”. Nobody else would shoot the racism in Maycomb. Even the sheriff didn’t have the courage or want to be any different than

I would not agree with sheriff Tate’s decision. Even though it seems like it was good to “protect” Boo Radley from the social aspect of the court case lying is still wrong. It is the sheriff's job to keep and uphold the law and truth. Bending it for the good of one person is also breaking it. If they had told the truth, Boo would be tried and found not guilty, because like Atticus said, “It is a clear cut case of self defense”.The only good lying about it would do is to keep Boo Radley out of the public eye.