Boo Radleys Innocence Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee follows the life of Jean Louise Finch or “Scout” in her hometown of Maycomb. As she and her brother Jeremy Finch or “Jem” grow up they learn what their town and its inhabitants really are and it kills their view of what they thought was the perfect town. Through experiences, both of them lost innocence. Also, Arthur or “Boo” Radley was sheltered from the outside for almost all his life. Because of this, he has not yet learned about the impurities of his town, let alone the world. This all changes when he steps out of the house for the first time in years. Scout, Jem, and Boo all start off as innocent mockingbirds. As the story progresses the reality of what the real world and it's inhabitants are really …show more content…
As soon as he leaves his innocence is left behind. All of Boo’s contact with the outside world has been cut off for all of his life. The fact that he is never let out of his house or exposed to the real world. He sees Jem and Scout pass by his house all the time having fun and all he wants to do is talk to them. So he starts leaving them chewing gum, twine, and dolls made out of soap to try and entertain them. He just wanted to make friends with the outside world and he didn't know better. When he sees Jem and scout in trouble he leaves the house for the first time. He sees the only people he could consider friends in trouble and acts on instinct. He was never taught basic mannerisms and as a result, he killed Mr. Ewell. It is clear that when he saw Jem and Scout, who had done nothing wrong, it flipped a switch for him and he saw how cruel and horrible people can be to such innocent children. He was exposed to the outside world for the first time and it all came so quickly that his innocence was shot and he killed a …show more content…
Jem was coming to an age where innocence naturally starts to fade away. It is clear that he still has his innocence when he is given the rose after the death of Mrs. Dubose. It shows how he was not aware of what was really going on with Mrs. Dubose because he had not yet been exposed to addictions and such yet. When the trial comes along, Jem is certain that justice will prevail. When the verdict is announced and Tom Robinson is found guilty Jem breaks down in tears. When he gets home he asks Atticus “‘How could they do it, how could they.’” (Lee, 213) He still believed that the good guy always wins and the bad guy loses. He was in for a rude awakening when Tom is convicted. It showed him that not all the people in the town were good like he thought they