November 2011 Archives
The character of Boo Radley is presumed to be an insane ghost by the town of Maycomb. Our narrator tells us, "Jem figured that Mr Radley kept him chained to the bed most of the time. Atticus said no... there were other ways of making people into ghosts" (14), which suggests that Boo has lost his sane mind and needs to be restrained to keep from harming himself and others. In addition, he is portrayed as someone who has become a spectre due to some unknown action or event. As it is said, "The doors of the Radley house were closed on weekdays as well as Sundays, and Mr Radley's boy was not seen again for fifteen years" (13). A long period of time spent in solitary confinement could possibly take credit as the cause of Boo's instability and phantom-like persona. Part of being human consists of needing other people for support and comfort, but Boo must be beyond humanity (aka a ghost) to exist soundly. Another cause of becoming a ghost or mentally unstable is gang activity, specifically, "...when the younger Radley boy was in his teens he became acquainted with an enormous and confusing tribe... and they formed the nearest thing to a gang ever seen in Maycomb" (12). In a real life situation, coming out of a gang can be immensely hard from dealing with how society views you, then in Boo's case, also dealing with punishments like getting locked away for one and a half decades. Therefore, the character of Boo Radley appears to be an insane ghost in the town of Maycomb.
Emma Stevens
Mr. Newman
ENG ID
November 3, 2011
Arthur "Boo" Radley: Human or Monster?
The character Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird, is said to be a dangerous and insane man about whom nobody is fairly sure. He is known for his shady past, being involved in a gang and being corrupted into doing things that would be considered improper. This is stated in this quote: "According to neighborhood legend, when the younger Radley boy was in his teens he became acquainted with some of the Cunninghams from Old Sarum, an enormous and confusing tribe domiciled in the northern part of the county, and they formed the nearest thing to a gang in Maycomb. They did little, but enough to be discussed by the town and publicly warned from three pulpits: they hung around the barbershop; they rode the bus to Abbottsville on Sundays and went to the picture show; they attended dances at the county's riverside gambling hall, the Dew-Drop Inn & Fishing Camp; they experimented with stumphole whiskey. Nobody in Maycomb had the nerve to tell Mr. Radley that his boy was in with the wrong crowd" (10). Even though this is according to town legend, people still believe that Boo was a bad person from the beginning because of being involved with a group of people who did nothing but cause trouble in Maycomb. The town people didn't believe Boo should be in the gang but they didn't have the courage to speak up about the problem.
Not only is Boo known for his past with gangs but for his mental problems as well. He may have had these problems at the very beginning since he joined the gang without knowing any better or he may have gained his disabilities afterwards. Because of this, people view him less as a human and more like a monster. The information about was mostly told by Miss Crawford, the gossip of the town. According to her, " Boo was sitting in the living room, cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste into 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" (11). Jem and other people in Maycomb believed what Stephanie said, even though she was the gossip and people like her could twist the truth. From this information, a image of Boo was made by Jem. Boo is described to be, " about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging by the size of his footprints, he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained-if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long, jagged scar that ran across his face, what teeth he had left were yellow and rotten, his eyes popped out and he drooled most of the time." (14). This description of Boo's looks and mental problems make the townspeople (including the Finch children) think that Boo is far from a human, instead a deranged beast. Even though Boo Radley may just be different, people like Miss Crawford twist the truth, showing that the townspeople make assumptions about someone they don't know because they are afraid of him. Even though we still aren't sure who Boo Radley really is, I doubt that he is the monster that people say he is.
Jordan Furlong
Mr. Newman
ENG1D
November 2, 2011
The Boo Radley Persuasion
Boo Radley in the eyes of the community is perceived as an insane individual. We are told by Miss Stephanie that, "Boo was sitting in the living room cutting some items from the Maycomb tribune to paste scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, he drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, and resumed his activities. He was thirty three years old at the time"(13). This describes Boo as a violent and even insane and unaware of his actions. Miss Stephanie reveals the fact that he is perceived as an insane individual. When she tells us, "That old Mr. Radley said that no Radley was going to any asylum, when it was suggested that a season in Tuscaloosa might be helpful to Boo"(13). This shows us that the community was thinking of sending Boo to an asylum, which provides the evidence that the community thinks Boo is Violent and insane. Later to make matters worse Jem makes it clear to us that they really think Boo is insane figuring that, "Mr. Radley kept him chained to the bed most of the time"(14). This makes it seem as if Boo were a monster instead of a nice person, which also backs up the insane and violent actions. When you think of a monster you think of an awful and violent being.
