The Character of Arthur Boo Radley in to Kill a Mockingbird
In July 1960, the book To Kill A Mockingbird came out. The book introduced a lot of interesting characters but the character that really interested me was Arthur “Boo” Radley. Boo Radley was a little interesting because he showed some qualities such as shyness, being misunderstood and bravery.
First off, Boo Radley would always hide in his home and never come out which indicated that he was shy. “Arthur Radley just stays in the house, that’s all… Wouldn’t you stay in the house if you didn’t want to come out?” This quote is spoken by Miss Maudie who is talking to Jem and Scout about how Boo Radley stays in the house and that they have to see through his perspective on why he decides to stay indoors.
Second, Boo Radley is very misunderstood. The Citizens of Maycomb never take the time to really get to him so Boo never gets to show who he is. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” This quote is very important because it’s true. People can never understand what another person thinks, does or why they do things they’re way they do them because they are not seeing through their perspective. This is exactly the same situation with Boo Radley. If people get to know him more than they would understand why he does things the way he does them and not be judged like how he normally is.
Finally, Boo Radley is very brave. “I wanted to you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you liked before you begin, but again anyway and see it through no matter what.” Boo showed real courage when he saved Jem and Scout from being murdered by Bob Ewell. The fact that Boo was judged for being weird but ended up saving Jem and Scout shows that he was misunderstood and that he really is a good man. Especially since he ended up dying protecting Jem and Scout.
In conclusion, Arthur “Boo” Radley seem like a person of interest because of how he showed the audience that he is a really good man. Even though he was shy and misunderstood, he did show bravery at the end of the story and that no one should ever judge a book by it’s covers.
