Analyse The Author's Treatment Of Boo Radley Essay
To Kill a Mockingbird
“Analyse the author’s treatment of Boo Radley. What is his role in the novel?”
To Kill a Mockingbird is a story written by Harper Lee, based on the life of young Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, her brother Jem, her father Atticus and the townspeople of Maycomb County, Alabama. In this essay I will explain and expand upon the three main roles of Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley. Boo Radley is an agoraphobic, reclusive, social outcast that (according to the people of Maycomb) is a horrific monster who kills and eats cats and whom also likes to peep through peoples windows at night (of course, the rumours are highly exaggerated). The three main roles of Boo are, firstly, to act as the ‘mockingbird’ of the novel; secondly, to teach Scout very valuable life lessons about the people around her; and finally, to help bond the three main children of the novel (Jem, Scout and Charles Baker Harris aka. ‘Dill’). …show more content…
One of the main roles of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird is to symbolise the sinful act of ‘killing a mockingbird’, that is, to destroy or bring harm to something that “…don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy”.
This point is emphasised by Boo’s acts towards Scout and Jem during the course of the novel. These acts include: Placing a blanket over Scout as she stood in the freezing snow while Miss Maudie’s house burnt down, hiding gifts in the knothole of a tree that Scout and Jem passed by every day after school and eventually saving Scout and Jem’s life in an incident involving a rival (Bob Ewell) of Atticus in a recent court case. These three warm, affectionate acts are what make Boo Radley into what he is at the end of the novel: A
Mockingbird.
Scout learns countless life lessons during the course of To Kill a Mockingbird. However, some of the most valuable are obtained during the last three chapters of the novel, when Boo Radley finally reveals himself and is shown to be a very gentle and innocent human being (essentially a middle-aged child). This totally shocks Scout and forces her to reflect on her previous thoughts and actions towards Boo. From this reflection she learns three important lessons: You never really know a person until you put yourself in their perspective, to reserve judgement and to disregard rumours. These lessons are what shape Scout into a wise and rational young woman towards the end of the novel.
During the novel, Scout, Jem and Dill play countless games together. The majority of these include Boo at some point or another, whether it is trying to get a look at Boo in his house or acting out rumours that the townspeople have made up about him. These games bring the three children together and give them something to bond over during the summer. Dill even goes as far as to run away from home every summer and even lives with the Finches for the summer. This plays a large part in the plot of the novel and is responsible for the majority of the interactions between Dill, Jem and Scout.
In conclusion, Boo plays three main roles in To Kill a Mockingbird. He symbolises the mockingbird, he teaches Scout precious life lessons and finally he helps bring three young children together. These three roles shift Boo Radley’s image from a horrific, beastly figure to that of an gentle, kind-hearted human being.
“Analyse the author’s treatment of Boo Radley. What is his role in the novel?”
To Kill a Mockingbird is a story written by Harper Lee, based on the life of young Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, her brother Jem, her father Atticus and the townspeople of Maycomb County, Alabama. In this essay I will explain and expand upon the three main roles of Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley. Boo Radley is an agoraphobic, reclusive, social outcast that (according to the people of Maycomb) is a horrific monster who kills and eats cats and whom also likes to peep through peoples windows at night (of course, the rumours are highly exaggerated). The three main roles of Boo are, firstly, to act as the ‘mockingbird’ of the novel; secondly, to teach Scout very valuable life lessons about the people around her; and finally, to help bond the three main children of the novel (Jem, Scout and Charles Baker Harris aka. ‘Dill’). …show more content…
One of the main roles of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird is to symbolise the sinful act of ‘killing a mockingbird’, that is, to destroy or bring harm to something that “…don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy”.
This point is emphasised by Boo’s acts towards Scout and Jem during the course of the novel. These acts include: Placing a blanket over Scout as she stood in the freezing snow while Miss Maudie’s house burnt down, hiding gifts in the knothole of a tree that Scout and Jem passed by every day after school and eventually saving Scout and Jem’s life in an incident involving a rival (Bob Ewell) of Atticus in a recent court case. These three warm, affectionate acts are what make Boo Radley into what he is at the end of the novel: A
Mockingbird.
Scout learns countless life lessons during the course of To Kill a Mockingbird. However, some of the most valuable are obtained during the last three chapters of the novel, when Boo Radley finally reveals himself and is shown to be a very gentle and innocent human being (essentially a middle-aged child). This totally shocks Scout and forces her to reflect on her previous thoughts and actions towards Boo. From this reflection she learns three important lessons: You never really know a person until you put yourself in their perspective, to reserve judgement and to disregard rumours. These lessons are what shape Scout into a wise and rational young woman towards the end of the novel.
During the novel, Scout, Jem and Dill play countless games together. The majority of these include Boo at some point or another, whether it is trying to get a look at Boo in his house or acting out rumours that the townspeople have made up about him. These games bring the three children together and give them something to bond over during the summer. Dill even goes as far as to run away from home every summer and even lives with the Finches for the summer. This plays a large part in the plot of the novel and is responsible for the majority of the interactions between Dill, Jem and Scout.
In conclusion, Boo plays three main roles in To Kill a Mockingbird. He symbolises the mockingbird, he teaches Scout precious life lessons and finally he helps bring three young children together. These three roles shift Boo Radley’s image from a horrific, beastly figure to that of an gentle, kind-hearted human being.