Psychotic Phantom: Boo Radley

            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.