Preview

Boo Radley Maturity

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
336 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Boo Radley Maturity
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Jem was able to grow in maturity from the experiences that helped shape his understanding of Boo Radley. As a matter of fact, his childish beliefs, based upon rumors heard, of Boo was that he was a monster who ate cats and squirrels. Unfortunately, he doesn't know yet that Boo Radley tries to extend a “hand” towards the kids by leaving gifts in the knot hole of the tree, to tell them he’s not who they think he is. A quote from pg 81 sheds light that the Radley place is becoming less deadly to the children, “The fact that everything on the Radley Place was poison having slipped Jem’s memory.” As more gifts were given the more they forgot how monstrous the house used to seem. Corresponding to
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Boo Radley Coming Of Age Analysis
    • 387 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Boo Radley Coming Of Age Analysis

    Coming of age a scene from “to kill a mockingbird”. Was the scene when scout leads boo Radley to his house and she realizes and learns that she is becoming a young adult? I will be explaining the different literary elements in this scene, plot, p.o.v, and the setting will affect the scene. I chose these three elements because I felt that they fit the scene and I feel that it brings out the true colors of the characters.…

    • 387 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jem Finch Quotes
    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Jem Finch Quotes

    Jem has a imaginative side of him and is descriptive storyteller, He starts to tell Dill and her sister scout about how tall he think is on his very imaginative way“he is about six and half feet tall, judging by his height.” He will tell them why he never comes out outside most of the time and why he's always inside his house or how he sleeps during night to Dill and Scout “(Boo) Mr. Radley always gets chained most of the time in his bed” and then continues on to explain a lot more details of Boo’s personal looks that jem makes of and personality. He tells Dill and Scout that Boo “He eats raw squirrels and any cats he could find or catch with his two bare hands. That’s why his hands were all covered in bloodstained most of the time” and he also says about a some kind of horrible scar on his face and the inside of his nasty/ugly teeth that he could think of so he could give it a more creepier/nasty look of him “he had a huge scar on his face and his teeth that he has are yellow and rotten and he drooled most of the time”said-Jem. He said ”He wasn’t seen over 15 years”(Ch.1 Pg.12,13,14). Jem can be that kind of brave type,but in the inside he can be a bit scared of a few things he try ,but sometimes you can see that boy shake those legs like if he was shivering because of cold air, but was mostly fear itself that made him feel like cold air hit him. He can be brave since he tried to ring (Boo) Radley’s door bell from his…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Symbol of the Mockingbird Lies at the Heart of Harper Lee's Novel to Kill a Mockingbird. Discuss.
    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Symbol of the Mockingbird Lies at the Heart of Harper Lee's Novel to Kill a Mockingbird. Discuss.

    Boo Radley symbolises a beautiful, but tortured mockingbird that is misunderstood and ostracised by both his family and the wider community. He is kept as a prisoner in his own home, kept in confinement by his god-fearing Baptist family. Despite this treatment Boo remains gentle and harmless. However, people tell stories about how he eats squirrels and cats and poisons the pecan nuts in the school yard. To the community Boo is a "malevolent phantom". Gradually Scout and Jem begin to see things from Boo's perspective. Like the mockingbird Boo gives pleasure and comfort: for example, the gifts in the tree, the blanket placed around their shoulders as they watch Miss Maudie's home go up in flames. Finally, he saves Scout and Jem's lives. In turn, Scout realises to drag Boo into the limelight would be like "shootin' a mockingbird" and a cruel betrayal of all the inherent goodness Boo symbolises as a mockingbird.…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Boo Radley Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Boo Radley Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

    “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit them, but remember it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” This advice from Atticus Finch to his daughter, Scout, meant that one should not destroy innocence. The mockingbird does no harm and provides beautiful songs, so they should be protected. To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is in the perspective of a tomboyish girl nick named Scout. Her brother is Jem and they play with Dill Harris when he comes in the summer. One summer the three of them try to lure the reclusive Boo Radley to show his face even though they themselves have never seen it.…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Boo Radley Figurative Language
    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Boo Radley Figurative Language

    Long term isolation and Boo’s reclusive personality causes him to have no friends. Boo tries to reach out to the children by leaving them gifts in the knothole of a tree for them to discover. Obviously, Boo treasures the gifts a lot. Even though 2 Indian-head pennies are worth a fortune, he is still willing to give them to the children because he wants them to be fascinated by the gifts just as he does. Boo shows kindness to the children when Jem and Scout are watching Miss Maudie’s house go up in flames. As mentioned in the story, “'Thank who?' I (Scout) asked. 'Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you.'” Boo is courageous and protective, he saves Jem and Scout from being killed by Bob Ewell. Above incidents proves Boo Radley, after all, is not a harmful person described by Maycomb people, in fact he is caring and…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Boo Radley Changes In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Boo Radley Changes In To Kill A Mockingbird

    Boo Radley is one of the most important characters in the story. “Hey Boo,” (Lee, 362). This is the first chapter where you actually meet Boo. He is standing in the corner of Jem’s room when Jem broke his elbow. Everybody thinks Boo is this really scary person. They call him Boo because he’s like a ghost. His real name is Arthur Radley. Jem described him as, “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,chapter1) This shows what Scout and Jem thought of him. It was a not very good assumption. He turns out to be not so creepy in the way he looks and turned out to be a very nice person which scout didn’t really expect. They realized their perceptions was wrong because he gave them food, fixed Jem’s pants, and gave them dolls over time.She came to expect it as she matured and got…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Jem's Maturation In To Kill A Mockingbird '
    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Jem's Maturation In To Kill A Mockingbird '

    in Lee 245). This is related to Tom Robinson’s case because he never did any harm to anybody, but he was found guilty. Jem also shows his feeling of justice when he says to Scout: ‘’ If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? 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’’ (qtd. in Lee 233). In this quotation, Jem tries to explain to Scout that Boo Radley stays at home because the world is too corrupt and…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analyzing Jem's Maturity in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird
    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Analyzing Jem's Maturity in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    It is clear that Jem has a vivid imagination, for he has ridiculous perceptions of Boo Radley. According to him, Boo is supposedly "six-and-a-half feet tall", “he dined on raw squirrels and any…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Santa Clause Quotes
    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Santa Clause Quotes

    After Atticus’s brilliant arguments, Jem remains optimistic about his father’s victory despite Reverend’s uncertainty: “‘… He’s not supposed to lean, Reverend, but don’t fret, we’ve won it… Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard…” (279). This naïve confidence results from Jem’s lack of understanding of how deep the racial-bias judgment engraved in the minds of Maycomb’s residents, thus results in his ultimate realization. Likewise, another character who is also misjudged in the novel is Arthur Radley, or Boo Radley. With their childish imagination and the fictitious rumors about Boo, Jem, Scout, and Dill misbelieve him to be “…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.” (16). Fabricated myths and rumors about Boo and his family circulate through the entire town only because Maycomb and its residents, despite the scarce amount of compassionate individuals, are ignorant of what is behind the family’s closed door. To the children, Boo Radley only exists as a figment of their imagination, a ruthless monster with no physical identity, a “malevolent…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

    The mysterious neighbor to them, never seen but always there watching. When they first introduced Boo, they feared him until they became to ridicule what they did not know. Scout and Jems maturation process is facilitated by how they handle and overcome their fear of Boo Radley, the towns “boogey man”. When Miss Maudie’s house flamed up Scout and Jem stood by the Radley fence, throughout the night someone came and covered Scouts back with a blanket; it was Boo Radley. That was the first night that Jem started to realize Boo is as pure as a mockingbird, just misunderstood. In the conversation- “Mr. Tate was right…’what do you mean?… 'Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?'" (Scout, p.276) took place, it showed insight to a deeper level of thinking that the kids had developed- metaphoric understanding. Jem knew they were wrong about Boo when Boo had stitched up his pants leaving them on the fence for Jem to find and when he did, he cried an emotional silent cry of remorse for they had contributed to the ridicule Boo endured. With this new understanding in chapter twenty three Jem enlightens Scout why Boo doesn’t leave his house; he doesn’t want to, it’s a confusing corrupt world he’d rather not live in. In a way Boo had taught Scout how to empathize with people. As she was escorted by him to his porch she stood there with tears filling her eyes for the man who saved their lives. Empathetic as she gazed the yard “in his shoes” watching memories from the past three…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Why Is To Kill A Mockingbird So Important
    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Why Is To Kill A Mockingbird So Important

    On her way past the house she caught a glimpse of something in the tree. Scout says this around chapter 3, “Some tinfoil was sticking in a knot-hole just above my eye level, winking at me in the afternoon sun” (44). This is the first thing that Scout finds in the knot-hole. The first gift from boo Radley, although she didn’t know it yet. Further in the book Jem and Scout find more gifts in the tree and are disappointed when Nathan fills the knot-hole with cement. Jem is explaining what happened that night of the fire, and Scout is asking what had happened. “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you”. Scout nearly through up when she heard this. Jem continues to say, “He sneaked out of the house-turn 'round-sneaked up, an' went like this!'" This is when Ms. Maudie house burned down. Scout was scared when she found out that boo was behind her, although she is starting to understand him. Scout and Jem are now so curious about him and start to understand that he could be nice, and not this mean monster. The reality is that Boo is a nice guy and not the mean monster they assumed he…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Coming Of Age Quotes
    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Coming Of Age Quotes

    In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Jem was able to grow in maturity from the experiences that helped shape his understanding of Boo Radley. As…

    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Expository Essay
    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Expository Essay

    Throughout Maycomb, Boo is known as a “monster” for stabbing his father with scissors many years ago while he was cutting paper for his scrap book one. Although no one really knows any information about the incident, they have misjudged Boo before they have met him. While Dill, a close friend was visiting Jem and Scout for the summer, the three children play many acting games about the life of Arthur Radley, and “as summer progressed, so did [their] game” (39). The game itself is a representation of prejudice because they are misjudging an innocent man. The kids believed that “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall,” they assumed such by the tracks he left. They also imagined that “he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch,” concluding that that is “why his hands were bloodstained…” They also seemed to believe that “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” (13). Although they have not met Boo Radley, they prejudged him by hearing false rumors from their…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Courage Quotes
    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Courage Quotes

    Jem shows true courage when he touches the wall of Boo Radley’s house. Jem states that “I hope you’ve got it through your head that he’ll kill us each and every one [...] Don’t blame me when he gouges your eyes out.” (17). This quote demonstrates the fear Jem has of the Radley house and Boo Radley. His childhood has been filled with rumors of how evil Arthur (Boo) Radley is, like “he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained” (16), and that he has stabbed his father, Mr. Radley (13). Although these scare him, Jem wants to stand up for himself by not letting down a dare. He accepts Dill’s challenge and is able to face his fears by touching the house of the Radleys. Jem shows courage again when he goes to help Mrs. Dubose even though she has insulted their family and, to Jem, is a terrifying elderly woman. This is reflected where Jem states, “Atticus, it’s all right on the sidewalk but inside it’s - it’s all dark and creepy. There’s shadows and things on the ceiling…” (140). Jem is afraid of Mrs. Dubose as much as he is afraid of Boo. In spite of this, Jem enters her house when told by his father, Atticus Finch. He was able to sit right by her every evening for more than a month. Throughout the novel, Jem has had a fear of many characters like Boo and Mrs. Dubose. However, he was able to overcome those fears, although some were…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Growth Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Growth Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    The Radley house has always been a mystery to the children of Maycomb County, the town where Scout lives. According to Jem, Boo Radley six and a half feet tall, ate squirrels and cats, and had a long scar across his face. One summer, Dill, a friend of the children, dared Jem to touch the Radley house. Dill told Jem, “…the folks in Meridian certainly weren’t as afraid as the folks in Maycomb…” (Lee 13). This was enough to persuade Jem into touching the house. After this amazing feat, Scout…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics