Even in a society that, overall, is diverse, people with similar ideas and experiences tend to congregate in small groups, where they are comfortable. It is much easier to remain in homogenous groups, among those who understand each other. When different groups combine, many different life experiences and points of view will be present and will potentially clash. Misunderstanding is bound to occur in some form when individuals of different backgrounds interact. When misunderstandings occur, people tend to respond with violence, fear, or stereotyping. In To Kill a Mockingbird, characters who are misunderstood by others are met with violence, fear, and stereotyping. One of the most prominent examples is Boo Radley. An outcast in the town, Boo …show more content…
To the children, so much as entering the front yard of the Radley house is a terrifying feat. At this time, the children do not understand Boo’s situation, as they have yet to meet him and know little about him apart from the stories. In the end, the children learn that Boo has been watching them all along and has even been a helpful presence in their lives. He was the one who left gifts in the tree outside the Radley yard for Scout and Jem, and he gave Scout a blanket during the fire. More importantly, however, Boo was the mysterious figure who saved the Finch children from Bob Ewell’s attack. Because the children did not understand Boo until the end of the story, the way they treated him was based on fear and the stereotypes they learned from the others in the town. Other significant examples of misunderstanding in the book come during the trial of Tom Robinson. After Bob Ewell finds his daughter, Mayella, kissing a black man, Tom Robinson, Mr. Ewell severely beats his daughter and accuses Tom of raping and beating her. Although it is physically impossible for Tom to have attacked Mayella, he is convicted of the crime. In Bob Ewell’s case, he responds to both Mayella and Tom with violence.
This explains how Boo had to get out of his comfort zone of staying in his house to do the heroic service of protecting Scout and Jem, risking the unveiling of his shy ways to the Maycomb community. After both children are safe and Atticus thanks Boo for his children, Scout takes him by the hand and leads him back to his house. As he releases Scout’s hand and shuts the door, never to be seen again, Scout describes him, stating that “He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives.”. (320) This illustrates how Boo Radley had acted as a guardian angel for the children; socializing with them but also defending them when necessary. Boo demonstrates courage when he chooses to protect the Finch children; resulting in having to murder someone and risk exposure after being a recluse for many
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a man named Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Until Tom was placed in front of a judge, he had been forced to be held in the Maycomb jail. While he remained there, an angry and ignorant mob went to jail to kill Tom. Ignorance is the absence of knowledge on a subject, which is like how the mob lacked knowledge on how being black does not cause Tom to be guilty. The mob is not the only instance in which ignorance is used; it occurs regularly in Maycomb.
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.
Though he is an honest, hardworking man he is black, and a white woman claimed he raped her. In this time period a white person's word was always taken over a black person's word and though he had not been convicted yet he was still feared. Finally, both Boo and Tom were accused of deeds they had not done. For instance, Boo Radley has had many rumour spread about him even though he comes from a family of fine folks. Though the Radley’s socioeconomic status, Boo was still disrespected, and was the and was the prey of many gossips such as Miss
Radley. Throughout the years, Boo was always there to assist, care for, and watch over the children. Yet he lurked in the shadows, keeping his distance, and remaining unseen. Draping a blanket over the freezing kids as they watched the blazing flames engulf Miss Maudie’s house, leaving tiny gifts in the Radley tree, stitching up Jem’s pants, and saving `them from the wrath of Bob Ewell, these were all generous actions Boo carried out for the Finch’s. Scout was beyond grateful, but felt guilty she had not given back to Mr. Radley.
In the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley was the most prominent character that fit the outsider archetype because of the stigma against mental illness. The community of Maycomb demonise him and label him insane, constructing an image of him as being huge and menacing and evil; Jem, a young boy says to his friend Dill describing Boo, “He’s about six and a half feet tall. He eats raw squirrels and all the cats he can catch. There’s a long, jagged scar that runs all the way across his face. His teeth are yellow and rotten.
Boo Radley is overall an innocent and peaceful character. Yet he is ridiculed, bullied, and pursued by both adults and
(278). Scout reflects on Boo’s giving nature and is grateful that he left them those things, but also feels bad that she and Jem are never able to return his favors. Although Boo’s actions may have gone unnoticed for a while, Scout and Jem will always be grateful for what he has done for them. Boo can be seen as a role model in disguise for the kids because of his help to them. Boo is there for the children when no one else can be and protects them from Bob Ewell.
He is a kind, innocent man that loves Jem and Scout as if they were his own. The town views Boo as a monster, but as he leaves gifts for the children and mends Jem’s pants, the reader begins to see his true nature and learns that he is misjudged by society. Boo also saves the lives of Jem and Scout. In the process of saving the kids, Boo had to kill Bob Ewell. By killing Mr. Ewell; Boo Radley killed his innocence.
Lastly is when the children were attacked, Boo protected them. These are all examples of how Boo helped the kids. Towards the end of the novel, after the kids realize all the nice things Boo has been doing for them, they start to change their opinions. They realize he is not a crazy man, he is just a person. A person that has helped them.
Intro “Being misunderstood doesn't mean you're the issue sometimes it's the people that misunderstand you with all the issues.” (unknown) Being misunderstood is preventing people from knowing who the person truly is and making them feel all alone and like they are the problem. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the people in Maycomb make inferences on who the misjudged are. In Maycomb, people are judged by their actions, appearances, and what everybody thinks the people have done, but in reality, these false accusations set up a barrier between the misunderstood and everyone else.
People always get misjudged and want to say who or what a person is like before they even meet him or her. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, has many examples of misjudging people, and some of those people could be better, or worse, than what that person judged. Most of these characters in the book do not have the sense to meet someone before they judge them. Even if a character knows a character, they still judge, and they judge wrong most of the time. People just don’t have enough sense, or manners, to not judge.
“Ignorance, Prejudice, and Innocence” “I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year” (Lee 83). Author Harper Lee continues with this idea, spoken by Scout Finch, in Chapter 17 of her book To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout Finch, age six, is stripped of her innocence in a mid-20th century Alabama courtroom. On trial is a black man accused of rapping a young white woman. Scout’s father, a lawyer, is unaware of her presence during the interrogations and cross-examinations.
In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee shows that we shouldn’t be too quick to judge another person’s character based on outward appearance and the stories and rumors we have heard. The character Boo Radley is a perfect example of why we shouldn’t be hasty to judge. On the outside, Boo looks like a scary neighbor that lives just a few houses away. “.....he had sickly white hands that had never seen the sun. His face was as white as his hands…..”
Due to the fact that Boo never shows his face in the neighborhood, people were forced to make incorrect assumptions about him. After the plot twist near the end of the book, Boo’s neighbors are proved erroneous once and for all. When Bob Ewell attacks Jem and her