Boo Radley Good And Evil

“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on, that’s who we really are.” -Sirius Black. This quote means that everyone, at times can be both good and bad, but, the choice to be mostly one or the other is what makes us who we are. This relates to the book because it can describe a number of different character’s personalities. Many people in the novel behave in a positive manner for most of the time and behave poorly on one particular occasion. Throughout the novel, Scout realizes that most people are both good and evil, and it is through this, that she begins to understand social structures and differences among others. Throughout the story, there are many characters that have positive interactions …show more content…
One of the main goals of Scout, Jem and Dill throughout the novel was to get Boo Radley to come out of his house or make contact with them. They wanted to prove to people that he wasn’t as bad as the rumors made him seem. They also just wanted to prove to themselves that he wasn’t a big, bad, scary person. Even though Boo did not come out of his house until the end of the story, he still assisted them tremendously along the way. For example, the night of the fire at Miss. Maudie’s he put the blanket around Scout when she was cold. Also, a major event in the book was him putting little trinkets in the knot hole for the children to find. However, the thing that left he most lasting impact was him saving Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell on Halloween. He rescues them and brings them home safely to Atticus. In the end, Atticus acknowledges this by saying, “Thank you for my children Arthur” (Lee 370). However, there are some horrendous rumors that are constantly circulating about Boo Radley. For example, Scout recounts a rumor about him stabbing his father with scissors. She says, “As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them off, and resumed his activities” (Lee 35). Most of the people in Maycomb are afraid of Boo Radley based on some of the things that he has allegedly done and they don’t respect him for the help that he has …show more content…
Throughout the book, this idea is the predominant theme. It is the baseline of Scout’s understanding of different social classes and how people handle different opportunities. At the beginning of the story, Scout believes that the majority of families are dealt the same cards, and will deal with the situation similarly. However, she learns that this is not the case. There are families in Maycomb who are a positive influence on society and some who are not. Both the Ewells and the Cunninghams are in bad situations. They are poor, and not very well educated. However, they handle the situation in completely different ways. The Cunninghams take their unfortunate situation that they have created for themselves and try to remedy it by sending their children to school as often as they can. Also, by repaying people for deeds that they have done, even if it is only something minute like a pile of wood. The Ewells on the other hand do the complete opposite. They keep a dirty house, their children only go to school one day a year, and Mr. Ewell gets drunk and beats his daughter. Both of these families have been put into poor situations, but choosing to make the best of it, or to wallow in pity, makes them who they are. It shows that people who are identified as bad can choose to change their situation into something good, they just have to take the initiative. Even when