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Arthur Radley In To Kill A Mockingbird

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At the start of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout flashes back to the summer that Dill first arrives, which brings up the conversation of Mr. Arthur Radley, otherwise known as Boo. Scout, Jem, and Dill ramble on and on about the rumors of Mr. Radley, and they truly believe that he’s the epitome of a monster. The rumors about Boo’s past haunt the children of Maycomb, especially Scout, Jem, and Dill. Throughout the novel, the perception of Mr. Radley gradually changes and the speculation about his past increases. By the end of the book, the children have the upmost respect for Arthur because he is their savior. Scout’s understanding of Boo develops when he places a jacket on her shoulders during the fire at Miss Maudie’s house, when he leaves the gifts for Scout and Jem in the oak tree, …show more content…

Many things are put in the tree such as gum, indian heads, gray twine, soap carvings of them, a medal, and a pocket watch. The Finches are thankful for the things they’re receiving, so they decide to write a letter showing their gratitude. The next day the knot in the tree was filled with cement, which was done by Mr. Nathan Radley. Later on, we find out that it had been Boo who was leaving those little gifts for Jem and Scout. Scout realizes that she hasn’t done enough for Boo and feels bad for accusing him of being a monster. “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad” (373). Scout realizes how horrible she feels for assuming that Boo was some monstrous person. By leaving these gifts Boo portrays that he wants to be accepted by the kids and he cares for them, and later on Scout realizes

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