Throughout the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch’s understanding of Boo Radley changed immensely. In the beginning of the novel, Boo was viewed as a monster. He was the subject of childhood horror stories, the myth that lived within the Radley house. By the end, he was viewed as a savior. He saved the lives of the Finch kids from the malicious Bob Ewell. Boo Radley started off the book as a monster, then Jem and Scout saw his true colors, and he was viewed as a savior.
“Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he [Boo Radley] existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people's azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed …show more content…
They crept around his home, peeking inside windows hoping to get a glimpse of the infamous Boo “Arthur” Radley. Their fascination became obsession over time. Boo was always on their minds. One day, they began to find gifts inside a hole in the tree in front of the Radley house. Then a blanket was placed on Jem while Miss. Maudie’s house burnt down. Nobody saw who placed it there. Jem and Scout believed that the gifts were from Boo, and that the blanket was placed on them by him. This was when Jem and Scout began to question whether or not their previous descriptions of him were true, “[He had]...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” (13). Scout and Jem were being hunted down by Bob Ewell because their father, Atticus, accused him of beating, Mayella Ewell, his daughter. When Bob finally ambushed Jem and Scout, someone fought off Mr. Ewell and saved their lives (ending Bob’s life in the process). Scout later found out that her savior was Boo Radley himself. She had a short conversation with Boo, while walking him back to his house. Scout began to realize that he wasn’t a monster, he never was. She had finally reached an understanding of Boo Radley. As she said in the
“Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he [Boo Radley] existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people's azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed …show more content…
They crept around his home, peeking inside windows hoping to get a glimpse of the infamous Boo “Arthur” Radley. Their fascination became obsession over time. Boo was always on their minds. One day, they began to find gifts inside a hole in the tree in front of the Radley house. Then a blanket was placed on Jem while Miss. Maudie’s house burnt down. Nobody saw who placed it there. Jem and Scout believed that the gifts were from Boo, and that the blanket was placed on them by him. This was when Jem and Scout began to question whether or not their previous descriptions of him were true, “[He had]...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” (13). Scout and Jem were being hunted down by Bob Ewell because their father, Atticus, accused him of beating, Mayella Ewell, his daughter. When Bob finally ambushed Jem and Scout, someone fought off Mr. Ewell and saved their lives (ending Bob’s life in the process). Scout later found out that her savior was Boo Radley himself. She had a short conversation with Boo, while walking him back to his house. Scout began to realize that he wasn’t a monster, he never was. She had finally reached an understanding of Boo Radley. As she said in the