An important character in many novels is the father figure. These figures are formative and shape the main character in how he or she develops throughout the story. Some can literally be the father and some can just be an influential man that lives down the block. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is seen as a big father figure for Scout and Jem Throughout the entirety of the book. However, Boo Radley is left out of the picture.Throughout the whole book in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley is a major father figure instead of a symbol of innocence because of his actions towards the children and Scouts reaction on the doorstep after she takes Boo home. To start of, Boo Radley is looked upon as a symbol of innocence.
…show more content…
The first action Boo does towards the children is Jem’s ripped pants. When Jem returns to get his pants after they get caught and rip Boo radley stitches them up, “When I went back, they were across the fence . . . like they were exceptin’ me” “And something else-” Jem’s voice was flat “Show you when we get home. They’ve been sewed up. Not like a lady sewed ’ em, like somethin’ I’d try to do. All crooked. It’s almost like-” “-somebody knew you were comin’ back for ‘em.” This quote show many things about Boo, it shows that he did it because he was the only one that could have seen it as well as Jem saying it must have been a male character. Next, it shows the compassion Boo Radley has for the children, doing something a mother or father would do. If Boo didn’t care about Scout and Jem, why would he sew Jem’s pants together when he him rip them? The second father like action Boo does is he saves them from Bob Ewell. “It was mighty dark out there, black as ink. ’d take somebody mighty used to the dark to make a competent witness....” “I won’t have it,” Atticus said softly. “God damn it, I’m not thinking of Jem!” ... “Before he went into the house, he stopped in front of Boo Radley. “Thank you for my children, Arthur,” he said.” This can prove enough to show that he truly loves Scout and Jem so much he’s willing to come out and risk his cover and life to save them. That sounds very much like something Atticus would do for them. Another point this proves is that even after he saves the children, he sees if Jem is alright and stops to see him before Scout takes him home. If saving them wasn’t enough, making sure both children are ok is truly a pure thing to
The first action Boo does towards the children is Jem’s ripped pants. When Jem returns to get his pants after they get caught and rip Boo radley stitches them up, “When I went back, they were across the fence . . . like they were exceptin’ me” “And something else-” Jem’s voice was flat “Show you when we get home. They’ve been sewed up. Not like a lady sewed ’ em, like somethin’ I’d try to do. All crooked. It’s almost like-” “-somebody knew you were comin’ back for ‘em.” This quote show many things about Boo, it shows that he did it because he was the only one that could have seen it as well as Jem saying it must have been a male character. Next, it shows the compassion Boo Radley has for the children, doing something a mother or father would do. If Boo didn’t care about Scout and Jem, why would he sew Jem’s pants together when he him rip them? The second father like action Boo does is he saves them from Bob Ewell. “It was mighty dark out there, black as ink. ’d take somebody mighty used to the dark to make a competent witness....” “I won’t have it,” Atticus said softly. “God damn it, I’m not thinking of Jem!” ... “Before he went into the house, he stopped in front of Boo Radley. “Thank you for my children, Arthur,” he said.” This can prove enough to show that he truly loves Scout and Jem so much he’s willing to come out and risk his cover and life to save them. That sounds very much like something Atticus would do for them. Another point this proves is that even after he saves the children, he sees if Jem is alright and stops to see him before Scout takes him home. If saving them wasn’t enough, making sure both children are ok is truly a pure thing to