However, he does what he can to make sure Jem and Scout are safe throughout the book, and leaves presents for them. At the beginning of the story, rumors are spread, and he is depicted as a frightening man who is completely insane. Scout and Jem begin to fear him, but a strange longing for connection shows through in the kids' obsession with him. Acting out of the life and times of Boo Radley could be a way of trying to understand him by "trying on his skin", as Atticus always says.
Of course, this is not meant to be taken in a literal sense. However, they highlight the fact that people like Stephanie Crawford find it easy to believe that, when they are scared or when they believe someone is trying to hurt them, Boo is to blame.
Boo is consistently kind to the children and this perhaps highlights his own childlike nature. After all, he was little more than a child himself when he was locked inside his house and this may be why he leaves them gifts or tries to help them. Before he went inside the house, he stopped in front of Boo Radley. Thank you for my children, Arthur, he said.
The whole incident where Boo rescues the children allows us to see how kind he is. He leaves his house and risks his own life in order to save them yet he has had so little kindness shown to him throughout his life. As such, within the context of the novel Boo functions more like a ghost than an actual character. He only appears in the final chapters of the book, and even then, only speaks once, but his presence is felt throughout.
The reader must also know the history between Scout, Jem, and Boo Radley. Boo is genuinely kind and protective of the children. In fact, he protects them when Atticus has underestimated the threat that Bob Ewell poses to Atticus and his family.
Ace your assignments with our guide to To Kill a Mockingbird! If we take Jem's word for it, Boo Radley is the kind of guy who, a century or so later, would probably be shooting homemade zombie movies on digital video in his backyard.
And maybe taking it all a bit too seriously. Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo Radley: - Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; - He dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. Talking about Boo Radley gives kids the same thrill as telling scary stories around a campfire.
They've never seen him, so they 1 don't quite believe he is a real person, and 2 feel free to make up fantastic stories as someone else might do about Bigfoot.
Their make-believe games, in which they act out scenes from his life, put him on the same level as the horror novels they shiver over. But the kids aren't just afraid of him. There's also a strange longing for connection in the kids' obsession with him.
Acting out of the life and times of Boo Radley could be a way of trying to understand him by "trying on his skin," as Atticus always says. And they do try to say that they're really just concerned for his well-being:. Dill said, "We're askin' him real politely to come out sometimes, and tell us what he does in there—we said we wouldn't hurt him and we'd buy him an ice cream. Dill said, "It's my idea. I figure if he'd come out and sit a spell with us he might feel better. The last line suggests that Dill at least feels some sympathy for Boo, and can imagine, or thinks he can imagine what he feels—and what he needs.
It seems like Boo Radley raises a really important question for the kids: can you still be human without being part of a community? Click the character infographic to download.
I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time
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