To Kill A Mockingbird: An Analysis
...novel in that it
portrays life and the role of racism in the 1930's. A reader may not interpret
several aspects in and of the book through just the plain text. Boo Radley,
Atticus, and the title represent three such things.
Not really disclosed to the reader until the end of the book, Arthur
"Boo" Radley plays an important role in the development of both Scout and Jem.
In the beginning of the story, Jem, Scout, and Dill fabricate horror stories
about Boo. They find Boo as a character of their amusement, and one who has no
feelings whatsoever. They tried to get a peep at him, just to see what Boo
looked like. Scout connects Boo with the Mockingbird. Mrs. Maudie defines a
mockingbird as one who "Â…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" (94). Boo is exactly that. Boo is the
person who put a blanket around Scout and Jem when it was cold. Boo was the one
putting "gifts" in the tree. Boo even sewed up Jem's pants that tore on Dill's
last night. Boo was the one who saved their lives. On the contrary to Scout's
primary belief, Boo never harms anyone. Scout also realizes that she wrongfully
treated Boo when she thinks about the gifts in the tree. She never gave
anything back to Boo, except love at the end. When Scout escorts Arthur home and
stands on his front porch, she sees the same street she saw, just from an
entirely different perspective. Scout learns what a Mockingbird is, and who
represents one.
Arthur Radley not only plays an important role in developing Scout and
Jem, but helps in developing the novel. Boo can be divided into three stages.
Primitively, Boo is Scout's worst...
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