ipl-logo

The Theme Of Society In Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

506 Words3 Pages

The Dark Horses of Society Every person has something that drives them. Some do it for fame, fortune, love, respect but not all have a specific reason for their doings. Some argue that the quietest people are often the most powerful. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Arthur “Boo” Radley is the most powerful character in the story. To begin with, Boo Radley saved Jem and Scout. Boo has no friends because of his life of isolation however Jem and Scout are the closest thing to friends that Boo has. Scout is unsure for quite a while about Boo but later knows he’s good. She doesn’t know it when talking about Boo but when someone, Boo, saved them and took Jem to her house she says “The man was walking with the staccato steps of someone carrying a load too heavy for him...He was carrying Jem.” (Lee 263) After Boo stopped Bob Ewell he took Jem to Atticus to be taken care of, as well Boo went to save them which meant he had to leave his home, which is hard for him because it’s all he’s ever known. …show more content…

Black Lives Matter protests are quite silent and no one gives any words to give their protests more effect. Recently there was a group of nine black individuals who protested the London City Airport. The article “Nine Arrested after London City Airport Shut down by Black Lives Matter Protest” specifically said “9 Black Lives matter protesters have been arrested after an erected tripod was set up and lock themselves on the runway.” They believed that being poisoned by gas and smoke was a racial issue and not a climate issue. They could have filed a complaint but they chose to make a stand. They chose not to speak and just let their stand speak for what they believe in. The statement that they made was made without words, just a stand and a belief in which they all

Show More
Related

  • Atticus's Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    186 Words  | 1 Pages

    Boo Radley is a mysterious person who often staked out by Jem, Scout and Dill. Apparently, Boo save Jem. It turned out that Boo Radley was not as unexpected. Then Atticus tells Jem about Boo who is a symbol like a mockingbird.

    Read More

  • Widespread Motifs In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    928 Words  | 4 Pages

    Widespread motifs in Maycomb “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” exclaims Scout Finch the narrator of To Kill A Mockingbird (Lee 317). Harper Lee is a white author who grew up in Alabama herself; Likewise living a similar life to Jean Louis Finch. To Kill A Mockingbird is widely banned for racial misunderstandings. The award winning, top selling book has never been out of print since it was published.

    Read More

  • Boo Radley In To Kill A Mockingbird

    276 Words  | 2 Pages

    Boo Radley is a mysterious recluse who was known for being a delinquent as a teenager. Many people in Maycomb believed the fabrications made about Boo because he isolated himself, a predilection that was unacceptable in Maycomb (Lee 11). The town created a fictitious profile of Boo and misjudged him. In the beginning of the novel, Boo Radley was portrayed as a monster that sparked the interest of Scout and Jem as they made various attempts to try to get Boo to leave his house. As the novel progresses, Scout and Jem realized that “Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time … because he wants to stay inside" (Lee 304).

    Read More

  • How Is Society Presented In To Kill A Mockingbird

    623 Words  | 3 Pages

    “You can't make decisions on fear or the possibility of what might happen next.”  (Michelle Obama).  Mayella Ewell, Victoria Price, and Ruby Bates were all heavily influenced by the society that surrounded them.  All three of these women were manipulated and forced to conform to the terribly corrupt society that they were apart of as accusers and victims in the trials that they each took part in.  

    Read More

  • Theme Of Imprisonment In To Kill A Mockingbird

    648 Words  | 3 Pages

    In addition to showing how the poor are trapped in the social codes and classes of society, the imprisonment throughout the book also shows how those who are perceived as “different” are also unable to escape from their roles. This group is represented by Arthur, or “Boo,” Radley. In the beginning of the book, Boo’s past is explained, including how he was locked in the courthouse basement for supposedly stabbing his father in the leg with scissors. Scout recalls the story, explaining that the sheriff “hadn’t the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes, so Boo was locked in the courthouse basement” (14).

    Read More

  • Examples Of Judging Others In To Kill A Mockingbird

    980 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the story Boo Radley plays the role of Scout and Jem’s guardian angel. He watches over them and helps them when they get into trouble. In the first chapters, the kids make fun of Boo, they taunt him. All they know about him is what they have heard, that he is a crazy man. Throughout the story though, Boo proves them wrong.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast How To Read Literature Like A Professor And To Kill A Mockingbird

    751 Words  | 4 Pages

    When comparing How To Read Literature Like A Professor and To Kill A Mockingbird, many’s first thoughts lead to symbolism. As Thomas C. Foster wrote much of How to Read Literature Like A Professor about symbolism, To Kill A Mockingbird is one huge symbol, including the title itself. By that, I mean that the mockingbird is the overall universal face of this timeless novel, portraying innocence. This theme of innocence is made evident in many instances in the novel by making many characters into that same mockingbird in a way, including the dog, Boo Radley, and Mrs. Dubose herself. However, this theme also includes the innocence of that mockingbird being stolen.

    Read More

  • Minor Characters In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1339 Words  | 6 Pages

    He is accountable for creating many themes as well affecting the actions and development of other characters. Furthermore, he plays a major role in the maturation of Jem and Scout. Jem, Scout, and Dill are fascinated by the rumors of Boo Radley around them. People in Maycomb perceive Boo as someone who, “dined on raw squirrels and cats” and “the teeth he had were yellow and rotten”(16). This quote shows the people’s impression of Boo and how they affect the childrens in the book.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Double Life In To Kill A Mockingbird

    843 Words  | 4 Pages

    What comes to mind when Jem said that is that Boo was a monster, but Boo is far from a monster. His double life comes up at the end of the book when it is proven that Boo was the one who stabbed Jem and Scout, which means he saved them. That action along with when he puts the blanket on Scout during the fire shows that he is actually a caring and loving guy and he’s nothing like what the rumors say about

    Read More

  • How To Judge People In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1392 Words  | 6 Pages

    Many people, including Scout, Jem, and Dill, are afraid of things Boo hasn’t done. Furthermore, Boo always stays home, which makes others think Boo’s father has been punishing him for his actions. Yet this isn’t true, as Jem states, “...when I was your age...(I thought) if there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other?... Scout… I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time... it’s

    Read More

  • Boo Radley's House In To Kill A Mockingbird

    255 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book To Kill A Mockingbird there are two kids named Scout and Jem. They have heard many stories and rumors about a boy named Boo Radley. The Radleys house is just a couple doors down from the Finches and the kids try to avoid it because “inside the house lived a malevolent phantom” (Lee 9) Boo has not been seen outside of his house in a very long time. Before Boo “locked” himself in his house he was friends with a group of troublemakers. They did not do much more than hang out, but one night they harassed a beadle and were arrested.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Caged Bird Analysis

    1630 Words  | 7 Pages

    In To Kill A Mockingbird Boo Radley is a man who always stays shut up inside of his house which causes many rumors about him to be spread around the town. For instance, at the end of chapter 14 it’s stated “Dill?”/ “Mm?”/ “Why do you reckon Boo Radley’s never run off?”/ Dill sighed a long sigh and turned away from me./ “Maybe he doesn 't have anywhere to run off to…” This shows how Boo Radley is emotionally struggling because people always are assuming things about him that can cause him to feel uncomfortable around others. At the end of the book Boo Radley acts afraid of everything like when it says “Will You take me home?’ He almost whispered it, in the voice of a child afraid of the dark.”

    Read More

  • Boo Radley Character Traits

    507 Words  | 3 Pages

    But in reality, on the inside, he is a good hearted person. Arthur Boo Radley is a man of few words, and even though he doesn’t talk very much, he is defined by his actions throughout the book. Three characteristics that describe this man are: thoughtful, brave, and misread by others. He is incredibly misunderstood because of the talk in the town that has spread. Many people think he is a terrifying man who is a savage that eats the raw animals that he catches, which turns out to be an incorrect interpretation.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Social Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1169 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the small, imaginary town, the Maycomb County, as a place where racism and social inequality happens in the background of 1930s America. Not only the segregation between whites and blacks, but also the poor lived in a harsh state of living. As Scout, the young narrator, tells the story, Lee introduces and highlights the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb County by using various characters such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Firstly, Harper Lee portrays Boo Radley as a victim of social inequality through adjectives and metaphor in the phrase, “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten;” ‘Long jagged scar that ran across his face’ tells us that Boo Radley has stereotype about his appearance, which forces to imagine Boo as a scary and threatening person. The phrase, ‘yellow and rotten’ make the readers think as if Boo Radley is poor and low in a social hierarchy, as he cannot afford to brush his teeth.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    1144 Words  | 5 Pages

    The mockingbird in the title of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," symbolizes a number of characters throughout the novel. In order to fully understand why these characters symbolize killed mockingbirds, one must first understand what the title represents and why it's wrong to kill a mockingbird. The idea that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird was first mentioned by Atticus Finch (the protagonist's, Scout, father) when he saw the children shooting things with BB guns. As he knows that soon they will go after birds, he tells them: "Shoot all the Blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird”. As Miss Maudie (the Finch's next-door neighbour) explains to Scout, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird because

    Read More

More about The Theme Of Society In Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

Open Document