Arthur Radley Prejudice

Arthur Radley’s change in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee reflects the theme of prejudice. Throughout the book, Arthur Radley (whose nickname was “Boo” Radley since he was seen as a horrible person) was prejudged by the whole town of Maycomb because of his appearance, his past, and rumors that people had heard about him, but by the end he proves everyone wrong and it shows how he’s actually a brave and kind man.
The first example of Arthur Radley being prejudged was when a boy named Jem who lived in Arthur’s town was explaining what looks like to his friend Dill, “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 blood-stained…

The Radley place was looked at negatively because the town once went through having people’s chickens and household pets found mutilated, and everyone suspected it was the Radley’s. “A negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked… A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no question asked. This shows how the Radley’s had a bad reputation but in reality Arthur Radley isn’t really a bad person like everyone thinks he is, he just keeps to himself and stays inside all the time, but he’s actually a kind and brave man. He proves this throughout the novel by giving Jem and his sister Scout presents, fixing Jem’s pants, and in the end saving Jem and his sister Scout from a man named Bob Ewell.
As i’ve illustrated, Boo Radley’s change from being a homebody to a hero in the end reflects the theme of prejudice in the story. This theme demonstrates how a person shouldn’t be judged because of their appearance, past, or rumors that you’ve heard about that person, and sometimes people can really surprise you, just like Boo Radley did in To Kill a