Many people tend to believe in rumors spread by others instead of learning the truth about a person’s life before judging them. Throughout the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley has always been a person of interest for Scout. He lurks in the dark and is a shroud of mystery, the only information learn about him is through rumors. As Scout develops and matures, she realizes that Boo Radley is not as he seems, and learns a lesson from her prejudice of him. Through the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, the narrator, Scout, encounters the character, Boo Radley, and as she matures, her understanding of Boo Radley’s character develops with her: he turns from a monster to a savior, teaching her that a person cannot be judged
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Since Boo Radley is never seen outside of his house, the people of Maycomb believe the rumors dispersed about him. Scout’s views of Boo Radley are based on preconceptions she has heard from the people of Maycomb and Jem, her brother. In the beginning, she bases her view of Boo Radley on Jem’s description of the way Boo Radley looks, “He dined on raw squirrels… his hands were bloodstained… his teeth were yellow and rotten,” which conveys Boo Radley as a monster who reminds one of the boogeyman (13). It is a given that after conjuring this image of Boo Radley, Scout has a fearful thoughts of him. Furthermore, the myth that surrounds Boo Radley comes from the fact that he never leaves the house for people to actually see his true nature. Conveying Boo Radley’s dark image, the people of Maycomb call him the “malevolent phantom”(8). Since Scout has only heard of these legend, her innocent mind believes them as she has yet to see Boo Radley herself to make her own judgement. Scout knows of Boo Radley from the gossip scattered by the people of Maycomb, her views of him are solely based on others’ beliefs of who he is as a person, which have become her own beliefs, as Scout continues to view him as a monster throughout the beginning of the …show more content…
Here, Scout, once again, encounters Boo Radley as he saves the children from Ewell, however, she has become far more mature than she was at the beginning of the novel. As Scout finally meets Boo Radley, who she learns is actually Arthur Radley, she discovers his timid nature. As Scout watches him stand by the wall at Atticus’s house after the attack, she states, “his lips parted into a timid smile, and our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears,” conveying she realized that it was Boo Radley who saved both Jem and her from great danger (270). She is moved and her view of Boo Radley has completely changed. Moreover she, now calls Boo Radley by his actual name, Arthur Radley. He had changed from the frightening monster that lurked in his house all day to a harmless and timid man, Arthur Radley is now a savior in her eyes, and she becomes aware of the fact that all the rumors she has heard of Arthur Radley has been all wrong after seeing him for herself. Furthermore, as Arthur Radley is ready to leave for his house, his voice is that “of a child,” conveying that Arthur is actually an innocent man viewed as a monster from the prejudice of the townspeople (278). She finally sees Arthur Radley as the mockingbird, as his image is blurred by the prejudice of Maycomb. Scout learns from Boo Radley a great lesson that one should not and cannot be judged on anything other than their
Since Boo Radley is never seen outside of his house, the people of Maycomb believe the rumors dispersed about him. Scout’s views of Boo Radley are based on preconceptions she has heard from the people of Maycomb and Jem, her brother. In the beginning, she bases her view of Boo Radley on Jem’s description of the way Boo Radley looks, “He dined on raw squirrels… his hands were bloodstained… his teeth were yellow and rotten,” which conveys Boo Radley as a monster who reminds one of the boogeyman (13). It is a given that after conjuring this image of Boo Radley, Scout has a fearful thoughts of him. Furthermore, the myth that surrounds Boo Radley comes from the fact that he never leaves the house for people to actually see his true nature. Conveying Boo Radley’s dark image, the people of Maycomb call him the “malevolent phantom”(8). Since Scout has only heard of these legend, her innocent mind believes them as she has yet to see Boo Radley herself to make her own judgement. Scout knows of Boo Radley from the gossip scattered by the people of Maycomb, her views of him are solely based on others’ beliefs of who he is as a person, which have become her own beliefs, as Scout continues to view him as a monster throughout the beginning of the …show more content…
Here, Scout, once again, encounters Boo Radley as he saves the children from Ewell, however, she has become far more mature than she was at the beginning of the novel. As Scout finally meets Boo Radley, who she learns is actually Arthur Radley, she discovers his timid nature. As Scout watches him stand by the wall at Atticus’s house after the attack, she states, “his lips parted into a timid smile, and our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears,” conveying she realized that it was Boo Radley who saved both Jem and her from great danger (270). She is moved and her view of Boo Radley has completely changed. Moreover she, now calls Boo Radley by his actual name, Arthur Radley. He had changed from the frightening monster that lurked in his house all day to a harmless and timid man, Arthur Radley is now a savior in her eyes, and she becomes aware of the fact that all the rumors she has heard of Arthur Radley has been all wrong after seeing him for herself. Furthermore, as Arthur Radley is ready to leave for his house, his voice is that “of a child,” conveying that Arthur is actually an innocent man viewed as a monster from the prejudice of the townspeople (278). She finally sees Arthur Radley as the mockingbird, as his image is blurred by the prejudice of Maycomb. Scout learns from Boo Radley a great lesson that one should not and cannot be judged on anything other than their