Analysis of the Relationship Between Boo Radley and the Children

In many efficacious and popular novels, most authors will introduce an intriguing or mysterious character that most likely symbolizes a specific aspect in the story line of the book. For instance, in the book To kill a Mockingbird, there is a very strong relationship between Boo Radley and the children. He is the neighbor of the Finch family. Arthur Radley nicknamed as “Boo” by the children of Maycomb, is a recluse, a local legend for several years indicates that Boo is rumored to be insane and a very dangerous man that should not be approached under any circumstances. Soon to be discovered, Arthur Radley has a very interesting relationship with Jem and Scout. At first, he is seen as a monster not only to the kids but to the townspeople of Maycomb, he shortly becomes a friend and, after one drastic event, he becomes their hero.

To begin with, it is important to mention that Boo Radley has a strong presence in the novel even though he isn't seen until its last pages. Arthur Radley nicknamed as “Boo” by the children of Maycomb, is a recluse, he is at first a fascination to the kids because he has never set foot out of his home and no one has seen him in years, a local legend for several years indicates that Boo is rumored to be insane. This has made room for rumors to build up non-sense that he has stabbed his father with a pair of scissors, eats squirrels and only comes out at night, etc… Therefore Boo has become a central figure in the imaginations of Scout, Jem, and their other neighbor Dill Harris. Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: “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. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” (Lee, 65)

Despite his history of being abused by his father and incorrect descriptions that are just rumors passing through the town due to the lack of knowledge about Boo, he is revealed to be a gentle soul through his unseen acts: He leaves treasures in the old oak tree such as twine, chewing gum, a spelling gold medal, a broken watch with a chain, two soap dolls resembling Scout and Jem and Indian head pennies, his mending of Jem's torn pants and the blanket he puts around Scout the night of the fire. But Nathan, Boo’s brother, fills up the knothole with cement. In return for all the gifts he has left for them, Jem and Scout try to write a letter to Boo to thank him. They soon realize he isn’t as bad as everyone says he is. Jem explained: "Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time... it's because he wants to stay inside." (117) Having to see the terrible things that the Maycomb folks can do, Jem sees that choosing to stay out of the mess of humanity doesn't seem like such a strange choice. But it turns out only the ugly side of humanity can actually drag Boo out, when he sees Bob Ewell attacking the Finch kids which leads to our next point.

Our last key point, Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem on Halloween after they have left their pageant in revenge of what Atticus has done to protect Tom a black man, Boo comes out of his house to rescue the children from Bob Ewell's murderous attack. The children's fear of Boo Radley, based on ignorance rather than knowledge, also reflects the injustice of the town against Tom Robinson; a connection is mirrored in the use of mockingbird imagery for both men. Scout: Scout: “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” (25-31) Scout: "An' they chased him 'n' never could catch him 'cause they didn't know what he looked like, an' Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any of those things... Atticus, he was real nice...." His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. Atticus: "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." (55)

Given these points, it shows that the relationship between Boo and the kids has definitely changed and transformed throughout the novel. This shows that they now have a stronger connection and Jem and Scout have learned many things about Boo and the proper meaning “To kill a mockingbird”. It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird because it’s a harmless creature and all it does is sing beautiful music for us to listen to. Therefore why should somebody kill it? In the novel Boo isn’t a bad person, like many people say he is, he’s a hero and a savior especially to Jem and Scout.