To Kill a Mockingbird chapters 1-8

You need to have read thru chapter eight of To Kill a Mockingbird to respond to this topic. If you have NOT read thru chapter eight, please do NOT read further (as it will spoil/give away information you haven't read yet).

In chapter eight we continue to just miss Boo. He continues to play a huge role in this novel--even though we have never seen him. He's just talked about in whispers, and while everyone thinks he's a recluse, it's clear that he does go outside the house--he gives lots of presents to Jem and Scout and even puts a blanket around Scout in chapter eight. Boo is a clearly a character of great importance even though we haven't met him.
So here is the question: What is the purpose of Arthur "Boo" Radley? What is his role in the story so far? Why does his character exist? And here's another way to look at it: How would the story change--what would it lose--if Boo Radley was NOT in the book? (Make sure to link your answer to the "big picture" and the central ideas that this book explores.)

Tags: TKaMB

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Permalink Reply by Mavireck Apples 9c on April 3, 2017 at 9:30pm

I think of boo as that person that is left out, that person that is different. Everyone sees him as a bad person until he took out the fire when no one was awake. I want to relate this to the real world because Boo shows the true meaning of a minoritie. This is because everyone hates him and because he is different and they are scared of him. Like us muslims, we are minorities and we get criticized based on our beleifs and how we look. The media plays a huge role becuase they tell the people that muslims are terrorists, and every time it says that the people start to be afraid of us and judge us without talking to us

Permalink Reply by Bro. Teacher on April 4, 2017 at 7:39am

*VERY interesting comparison you've drawn. This is the first time anyone has brought up a likeness between Boo and Muslims. Very intriguing! Be sure to drop a little ICEE in yo' ICE-T though, Brother :)

*How about anyone else? Does Brother Apples have a point here about how Boo and Muslims are alike because they are "different" and people are "scared of them?" Heck... Boo isn't even known by his name anymore--which is Arthur by the way. He's known as "Boo" Radley--a name meant to sound scary. Is this the same kind of labeling the media is doing to Muslims? Can/should we draw comparisons between Arthur and Muslims? Very interesting point, Brother Apples... I love it! I'm not saying I agree with it... but I love the idea and look forward to what others have to say about it.

Permalink Reply by The Best 9B on April 4, 2017 at 9:20am

Yes I definitely agree with Apples there has to be some relationship. People are afraid of Muslims because other people say they committed crimes so they spread the word and separate them by using labels. The same goes for Boo However, we don't know why everyone is afraid of him but it seems that the adults tell their child that he is dangerous/ scary so the children don't even give him a chance. This is interesting because I think only Miss Maudie thinks Arthur is a good person. She says" Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did"(lee, 46). Scout was asking Miss Maudie about Arthur and she told her all of these positive things about him. She also said that other people said things about him which could be people spreading rumors just to get him in trouble- this may/may not have caused him to stay in his house. Miss Maudie is such a good person not like the others believing in rumors and spreading them. She teaches Scout that Arthur may be a good person. Just because they say he is bad that may not be true. This also connects to the another question which is what is Miss Maudie's purpose in the story. I believe she is a role model just like the evidence above says she says Arthur is good when everyone said he was bad. This may be just her opinion however she is creating an open mindset for Scout and Jem. While the other people in the community are trying to form there opinion for them.

Permalink Reply by The Best 9B on April 4, 2017 at 8:11am

I think Boo Radley plays a huge role in the story. He is definitely feared by the community for no reason-some say he is alive others say he is dead. However if he is alive people are not sure because he rarely leaves the house. "When I was able to navigate I ran back to them as fast as my shaking knees would carry me" (Lee,38). This Occurred when Dill, Jem, and scout were playing a game and scout ended up rolling into the Radley's yard. Even though the Boo Radley did nothing to harm them they were still afraid which goes back to judging other people without knowing them. However I feel like Boo Radley is a good person and is afraid to come out of his house possibly because of people that have judged/bullied him. "Boo Radley. you were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you"(Lee, 72). While Miss Maudie's house was on fire Boo came and put a blanket around Scout. This is significant because he rarely leaves his house and because he left for such an unimportant task. This shows that he truly cares for Scout and Jem. Another huge piece of evidence is the book cover, which contains the knot-hole. The Knot-Hole is where they found the Pieces of gum and watch-these items were put by Boo. So in my opinion the watch will have a major role in the story. All in all, I think Boo Radley plays a huge role in the story.

Permalink Reply by RIKA 9B on April 5, 2017 at 9:03am

I agree with you that he plays a very important role. He is important for being different. He is someone that is feared by everyone around him, and that fear is further amplified by the rumors going around about him. The rumors are so great to the point that Arthur Radley received a new name, Boo. While he may do things that are nice, people still fear him. When Scout realized that Arthur put a blanket on her without Scout noticing, "[her] stomach turned to water and [she] nearly threw up" (Lee 96). Scout ignored the fact that Arthur prevented her from freezing to death, and just became afraid of the fact that 'Boo' Radley was even close to her. I believe that Arthur is there to show how the citizens of Maycomb judge people and how they have their own biases. He is there to eventually make people realize that they are not different from each other. Basically, if Arthur Radley wasn't in the story, there would be no plot. All the major event that happened revolved around Arthur. Without him, no one would try to find out why he stays inside. Basically no one would try to find out why Arthur is 'different', like how Jem and Scout are trying to do.

Permalink Reply by Iridescent 9A on April 6, 2017 at 4:23pm

there would be a plot without Arthur because so far Arthur hadn't played a huge role except getting them into trouble he is pretty much avoided throughout part 1

Permalink Reply by Void 9A on April 5, 2017 at 2:27pm

The purpose of Boo Radley is to be the minority, or in this case the mockingbird in this story. That is said because Boo is constantly being talked about in bad ways even though didn't really do much. He is the mocking bird because like the mockingbird he is just minding his own business but many people find any reason to hunt, or in this case, take him down. Without Boo in the story, there wouldn't be any form of conflict. And without conflict we cant move towards each other; that's because without peaceful conflicts we wouldn't really move/progress, we would just remain in the current state society is in at the given moment. Because of Boo, there may be a chance that the characters can learn many things from the way they portray their beliefs of Boo. And if the story were to lose Boo, like I said before, the characters wouldn't progress in any way, shape, or form. They would continue to judge everything and they would never even learn anything new. Like we've learned before, we need each other other to progress; we need each other to learn and build off one another, just like how the kids in TKaMb need Boo and other characters. Thus, Boo is essential to the development of characters in the story, and people like Boo (Mockingbirds) are needed in the real world so we, as people, can develop and progress.

Permalink Reply by Sunset 9B on April 6, 2017 at 3:20pm

Viod Moubadder, I agree when you said "He is the mockingbird because like the mockingbird he is just minding his own business but many people find any reason to hunt, or in this case, take him down". Boo Radley is like a mockingbird constantly being "abused" and people talk about him when they don't even know him. But their is one difference between a mockingbird and Boo Radley and that is that a mockingbird sings music to us-beautiful music for people to enjoy. Boo Radley is not the type of person people would enjoy having around. Plus the fact that Boo Radley doesn't get out of the house to talk to people and make friends. But a mockingbird goes out and loves to sing music for people to listen to. To show evidence on what I am saying, Miss Maudie tells Scout "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."(Lee 90). As I said, Boo Radley isn't outside "singing to people and they don't enjoy it when he is around. A mockingbird pulls people towards them with music. If Boo Radley did the same thing, them people wouldn't have been going around talking about him in a bad way.

Permalink Reply by Fairy Dust 9A on April 7, 2017 at 1:52pm

Void, I see the connection you're trying to make with Boo as the Mockingbird of the story, but I completely disagree! I believe the mockingbird in this story-- or mockingbirds to be more clear-- is not Boo, but is everyone in Maycomb county who talks bad about Boo-- a follower, a gossiper-- a mocker. A mockingbird only mimicks/mocks the other birds around it; to relate it to TKAMB, the mockingbirds are the people in the county-- Jem, Scout, and many others. These mockingbirds of Maycomb county haven't even seen Boo, and just feed onto the gossip of others, creating a story about the Radleys-- a type of folklore per-say. Boo is essential to this story to understand that people will gossip, mock, taunt, etc. but staying true to yourself is important. It's easy to say that Boo isn't loved by his county, but is it a possibility that Boo knows this, and thought Scout and Jem were only trying to be friendly? I think that Boo planted the things he left in the tree for Jem and Scout, and thought of it as a friendly offering! In chapter 8, Boo Radley-- the county "monster" did something nobody would have even thought of! Atticus-- when talking to Scout and Jem says, "Boo Radley [covered you up]. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you" (Lee 96). This is incredible! It shows that Boo-- who seemingly never leaves his house-- did so so that Jem and Scout could be warm! It's easy to assume that Boo has taken a liking to Scout and Jem, and although they don't know it yet, it may be beneficial to them in later chapters, or even beneficial to Boo's character, when we do meet him.

Permalink Reply by Ambitious Philosopher 9D on April 6, 2017 at 4:24pm

The purpose of Boo Radley is to teach the readers that they should not judge people by the rumors that they hear about them because they probably aren't true. To build on this idea more, Boo Radley is a misunderstood character in the story because people think he is dangerous and terrifying from the rumors that were spread about him but he is actually a caring and kindhearted person. In chapter 8 of "To Kill a Mockingbird", Atticus tells Scout, "You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when [Boo Radley] put the blanket around you."(Lee 72). From this evidence one can conclude that Boo Radley is a friendly person that cares for people and wants to help them and people only think of him as a monster because they did not try to get to know him and understand him. Thus, a person should not make assumptions about the people around him/her if he/she has not tried to communicate with them and empathize with them.

Permalink Reply by Androgynous 9C on April 6, 2017 at 7:09pm

I think that the purpose of Boo Radley is too show how different and disparate he is from everybody else. It is seen that he is treated differently from everybody else, and i think this makes him a mockingbird. I think that he is just like a mockingbird because it looks like people don't really know him and just make false accusations about him and like a mockingbird all they do is sing there hearts out, there very pure and they only want to create peace. He appears to be very intimidating to some people but he is actually a mockingbird that's very friendly and kind. I think that he will be a very important character throughout this story because he's very different and unusual from everybody else. And it will later show throughout the story that Boo Radley is a very vital character that is very odd and different from the rest of the people and that he is a mockingbird because no one truly knows who he is but rather make opinions about him.

Permalink Reply by The Authentic Socializer 9B on April 6, 2017 at 7:30pm

Arthur Boo Radley is quite an important character in the book; even though he isn’t seen much, he still plays a huge role in the story. Boo Radley is obviously still human. But the people in the community view Boo as a monstrous figure since there are many made up fantastic stories about him. He is described as a six-and-a-half foot monster. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee writes “you all’ve gone crazy, he’ll kill us” (Lee 62). This piece of evidence shows how Scout, Jem, and Dill, and possibly everyone in the Maycomb County view Boo Radley. In my opinion, Boo Radley seems like he is not welcomed in the community since he never comes outside and is seen as evil. Boo Radley seems like a nice man because “Boo Radley-put the blanket around [Scout]” (Lee 96). This piece of evidence shows that Boo Ridley is a good guy but is injured by society which is why he never comes out. All in all, I think Boo Radley plays an important role in the book.