How Does Boo Radley Show Courage

In Chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird Jem and Scout find several things in the knot-hole of the old oak tree on the Radley house. The children are very curious about who left these things there. Later in the book they realize that it is Boo Radley is leaving the gifts. He is trying to show them his affection for them. Throughout the novel Jem and scout find 2 sticks of gum, a pack of gum, 2 old Indian head coins, gray twine, soap figures carved to like Jem and Scout, old spelling bee medals and an old watch on a chain and an aluminum knife.

He is suggesting to Jem that perhaps Boo Radley is being kept under control because Mr. Radley is using some other means. This is a powerful quote because it introduces ideas about how Boo Radley is treated at home. This also introduces Boo Radley as being a mockingbird. Atticus

Boo’s transition from the basement to back home was nebulous in Jem’s memory” (Lee 14). This quote is a great example of what it would be like for Scout to walk in Boo Radley’s shoes because it shows how Scout first found out where Boo was, and where he had to go because he was convicted of committing a crime.

Arthur Radley, colloquially known as Boo Radley, is a reclusive man who refrains from leaving his house. This is a significant social faux pas in Maycomb, and as a result, he is highly gossiped about by the townspeople and negative rumors constantly circulate regarding him and how he is mentally ill and should be feared. At the beginning of the novel, Scouts perception of Boo Radley is no different. As the novel progresses Scout slowly begins to empathise more with Boo; and she begins to fear him less after various events in the novel, such as the times Boo leaves Scout and Jem presents (59-60) and the time Boo places a blanket on Scout 's shoulders during the fire at Miss Maudie’s house (71-72). Scout’s empathy towards Boo Radley is really only fully developed by the end of the novel when Boo saves Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell.

Boo communicated with Scout and Jem in a way that no one would think of. He would always have something for them inside the tree trunk, once he would put gum, another was a watch, after his father knowing that he communicates with the children he decide to block the tree trunk with cement. Boo also covered scout with a blanket without her knowing. When there was a fire and her and jem had to go out scout and jem where both cold and didn’t feel when boo came and covered them with a blanket without them feeling him. But what was something important was when he defended them when Bob Ewell attacked them.

When certain situations happen to people with good morals, they feel empathy for those who do not understand people as easily. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, a respectable lawyer and his children are involved in many unique experiences that help them learn necessary life lessons about society during the 1900’s. Scout and Jem learn a particularly important lesson about racial injustice when their father takes on a life-changing case. Upstanding characters show empathy more than others since good morals lead to self-respect and happiness, it allows people to appreciate the good around them. Throughout the novel, exemplary characters like Maudie Atkinson, Atticus Finch, and Scout Finch demonstrate empathy for characters who don’t

From Scout’s narration, readers can tell Dill is very curious and imaginative, when Scout describes him to be inquisitive in the Radleys; “The more we told Dill about the Radleys, the more he wanted to know, the longer he would stand hugging the light-pole on the corner, the more he would wonder.” (13) Lee introduces Dill as a creative and intelligent child, who is still mostly innocent to the world. Jem is also a symbol of innocence in chapter one. When Jem blindly believes Stephanie Crawfords exaggerations of Boo Radley, it shows how naive and trusting he is, and that he hasn’t been epxosed to much lies in the world. Jem is also prideful, which shows when he finally decied to touch the Radley house only when Scout “sneered at him.”

It all starts when the kids are sneaking in his yard trying to get a look at the so called, “crazy man”. Jem is forced to leave his pants after they get stuck on the fence, when he is making his escape. Boo, finds the pants and fixes the rips caused by the fence. Later, during the house fire, Scout mysteriously has a blanket draped over her shoulders. They soon find out that the blanket came from Boo.

Throughout the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, the readers can see how Scout changes her view about Boo Radley. Because of their nosiness, Jem, Scout, and Dill try to drag Boo out his house and to the outside world. Their innocent actions combined with Boo’s actions changed the image of Boo, in their minds, from “a malevolent phantom” (10), a person who kills cats and eats squirrels to a neighbor they can trust, who saves them from Bob Ewell. Scout says at the end, “Boo was our neighbor” (373). The readers can see a great change in their relationship.

The blanket put over Scout during Miss Maudie’s house fire symbolizes the overall protection and kindness of Boo Radley towards the Jem and Scout in the book. One of Boo’s kind gestures towards the middle of the book was when Jem went back to the Radley house for his pants. He found them folded nicely across the fence and sewed together, showing that Boo was being nice and leaving Jem’s pants fixed and in an easily accessible place. The blanket, though, appears during the house fire and isn't noticed until later on when Scout states, “Thank who…” followed by Jem’s statement “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you”.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee many characters are victims of the harsh conditions of Maycomb County. Often those who are seen to be metaphorical mockingbirds are punished the most. A mockingbird is one who only wants and attempts to do good. Characters such as Boo Radley, Jem Finch and Tom Robinson are exemplars of mockingbirds in Maycomb. In the novel it is explained by Atticus that killing a mockingbird is a sin because they do not do anything to harm to us like nesting in corncribs, or eating up the gardens, they only sing for us.

Scout looks up to Jem, greatly values his opinion on many different topics and trusts him completely. She follows his lead on may things such as when Atticus enquire about the nature of a game they are playing which depicts Boo Radley , “ Jems evasion told me our game was a secret so I kept quiet.” (Page 45) Jem in turn enjoys spending time with her and adores her.

Jem usually ignores people who talk trash about their family but when someone insults Atticus he would be furious but Atticus teaches him to be a gentleman and ignore the hateful comments. One other neighbor, Boo Radley is always behind doors but he shows Scout that he is not a bad person. Atticus knew it was Boo who covered up Scout but Scout says “Thank who?” and Atticus replies with “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you” (72).

When we arrived at Dill 's house, Jem knocked on the door and waiting for a response. After a few minutes, we gave up, figuring they were out someplace, even though there were no good places to go in Maycomb County. Jem looked at me, and said, “Since they’re not here I’ll race ya home!” He sprinted off towards the house, leaving me behind him. I knew a shortcut, and it involved cutting through the backyards of everyone 's house.

A day came when they were acting out Boo’s life and Atticus says, “that you never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (36). Boo teaches Scout and Jem not to judge a person based on rumors because later in the book, they find out that Boo is not this evil person as the society perceives but he is an innocent and kind person, symbolic of a mockingbird. Boo also teaches Jem and Scout a major theme of the book which is that it's terrible to do harm to an innocent person as Atticus would say, “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” At the end of the book, when Tate and Atticus are hiding the case of Boo killing Bob, Scout reminds Atticus that charging Boo with murder would be, “Like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”(276) It refers back to when Atticus told them it’s a sin to kill mockingbird because they don’t harm you. Boo is symbolic of a mockingbird because he didn’t do harm to anyone.