A Person's Role In Life

     A child's perspective of life changes as he/she grows and develops, usually considered their coming of age. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author shares with us Jean Louise "Scout" Finch's life in Maycomb, a suburban county with many racists, and her coming of age. The character, Arthur "Boo" Radley, appears to be a villain; a childish fear of Scout and her brother, Jem, throughout a majority of the book. Although the author victimizes Boo, as the story nears its end, he is no longer seen as a villain by Scout, but as a hero once they finally meet him. Boo Radley's role in Scout and Jem's life was very important to their development; as children they had committed acts of bravery to try and satisfy their curiosities.

     Initially, the portrayal of Boo Radley is made unclear by the many myths of his violence and pure wickedness. Using the rumors that had spread from Stephanie Crawford, the author successfully attempts to portray him as nothing far less than a monster through the eyes of the protagonist, Scout. The novel states "...Jem received most of his information from Stephanie Crawford, a neighborhood scold, who said she knew the whole thing. According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the living room, cutting items from the Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr.Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities."  Such examples of unrealistic stories created based on Boo, are used to give a horrid first impression, this being the first story about him in the novel. The author makes his character appear far worse throughout the story until the very end of the story. According to the novel "Nobody knew what form of intimidation Mr.Radley employed to keep Boo out of sight, but Jem figured that Mr.Radley kept him chained to the bed most of the time." Jem's own response to the rumor was another one of his own liking. For him to be thinking of such nightmarish ideas about Boo Radley, shows how influential Boo becomes in Jem and Scout's lives. Although his character is given an antagonistic affect, because he wasn't the only Radley in the family it foreshadows a possible good in Boo, which people overlook and fail to realize. Harper Lee "attacks" Boo during the early parts of the story through our protagonist's point of view, and other characters that appear as well.

     In addition, due to the many false portrayals of Boo, he becomes a victim of horrifying rumors in Maycomb, but his status by the people of the county changes as the story progresses. Killing a Mockingbird is considered a sin because they are thought to be innocent, doing no wrong. Boo is given a "Mockingbird" type of role, being victimized by the people of Maycomb although he hadn't done anything to provoke them into doing so. However, the children begin to take notice that he isn't as bad as they had initially thought as they conduct several brave experiments/feats near the Radley house, losing some of their fears of Boo. Also, when it becomes implied that he has been delivering them gifts through the use of the knot-hole in a tree, it informs the readers of Boo's kindness, although Scout and Jem did not know it at this point. The author includes this part in the novel to be used as a turning point in our thoughts, and later Scout and Jem's thoughts about Boo.

    The mental development of our protagonists and her brother throughout the story is greatly influenced by Boo Radley. In the beginning of the novel, when Jem and Scout were young with innocence, they believed the cruel stories they had heard about Boo. One belief about Boo was that he "was about six and a half feet tall," and "feasted on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch." During the large house fire at Miss Maudie's, although the two hadn't seen Boo, Jem was quick to defend him from his father, pouring out their secrets "left and right" about the knot-hole and his restitched pants, which were kind acts of Boo. Jem was the first to lose his childhood innocence and also the first to understand Boo as well. Jem knew that it was Boo Radley who had done those small noble deeds for him and Scout; patching his ripped pants and leaving it at the fence, and giving gifts in the knot-hole tree until Nathan Radley filled it. This made him think deeply and more differently about Boo, as he "stayed silent and moody for a week." This also helped Scout, having witnessed her brother under this state, to reevaluate her thoughts about Boo later in the novel. only after Boo saved her and Jem's life one night, did she believe then that Boo was her neighbor, and that he gave to them in return, but she never put anything back in the knot-hole, which made her feel selfish. The novel states "we [Jem and Scout] considered everything we found in the knot-hole our property." It was only until then, had she seen the bright light.

     In the end, after the house fire at Miss Maudie's, Boo was barely mentioned by the author, putting most of the emphasis on the court case between the Ewell's and Tom Robinson. In latter parts of the novel, Boo's role is now clearly seen. The author treats Boo as a hero when he saved Jem and Scout from a likely death, and by killing the killer of a "Mockingbird," the one who had endangered them, Bob Ewell. The novel states "He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our [Scout and Jem's] lives." Mr.Ewell had wanted revenge on the Finch family because Scout and Jem's father, Atticus, had defended Tom Robinson (being his lawyer) until Mr.Ewell was proven guilty in the court case. It was proven that Boo had been watching over the children, from their behavior to their actions, from his room, readied to protect them during their time in need. It was also later revealed that Boo's timidness was the reason why not many people had ever seen him, because he also didn't leave his home or his room. Boo was not at all locked in, but in fact "did not want to come out." Harper Lee made Boo Radley conscious about what happens in the county and his guardianship over Jem and Scout.

     In conclusion, the author's treatment and portrayal of Arthur "Boo" Radley changes drastically throughout the novel. Boo was thought to be an inhumane beast/monster at first, but during and after the medial scenes in the story, he progressively begins to reveal his true identity. He was a very shy and timid man. The children, Scout and Jem, being curious of Boo's true identity, underwent multiple incidents which helped their development into adulthood. Not until the final chapters, does Boo finally expose his true self to Scout and Jem, and is deemed as a hero. One person is enough to make all the difference in the life of a child, adolescent, or adult.