Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee makes the reader infer many things that are happening. For example, though it is not known for certain, the reader can guess it is probably Boo Radley giving the children gifts, when the kids themselves are still in the dark. Similarly, in chapter eight, Lee makes the reader guess that it is Boo who puts the blanket around Scout's shoulders. The clues Lee gives the reader for this fact are that Nathan Radley is outside of the house during the time (he is helping Miss Maudie), giving Boo a chance to escape the house, and that the kids are standing in front of the Radley house. What other things has Lee made the reader infer so far?
Harper Lee included this moment to enforce one of the major themes in this book: no one is truly as they seem. Scout finally has proof that Boo is nothing like the social recluse that Stephanie Crawford describes him as. Jem, on the other hand, knew that Boo was not a monster ever since "he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead...he ain't ever hurt us..." (96) When Jem says these words, he tells his family and the reader that he has finally learned to not judge someone before knowing them better. Is this moral, to not judge a book by its cover, important? Should it be applied to everyday life? Can people make a difference by not judging others based on looks? Here are some small things that are not what their names define them to be. Why do these things have misleading names? Is it an aspect of human nature to enjoy deceiving others?
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*Quick note: I made indents but they didn't go through. The second paragraph begins at "Harper Lee included this moment..."
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how Jem's view of Boo Radley changes as the children receive the gifts and when Scout has a blanket on her shoulders. However, this is not only showing Jem becoming more moral, but it is also giving Jem and Scout a sense of reality. Before, they had only heard rumors about Boo. They had no proof whatsoever about what they were hearing. Jem heard these rumors from Stephanie Crawford, and Scout heard it from Jem. Because of all the different people these stories, about Boo, were going through sometimes things could get mixed up and some information was nothing but a lie. Once Jem receives the gifts and the blanket he starts to understand more about the real Boo, and it brings him to the reality that he is an actual person, not just the monster he is let off to be.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Crawford demonstrates Scout and Jem maturing in this chapter, as they learn to consider realistic explanations before resorting to the belief of preternatural phenomenons. However, I believe Crawford has a second agenda. In chapter eight, Boo Radley's character is developed to appear more humane. Through Boo escaping his house to protect Scout from catching an illness from the cold, as well as being generous with the children and giving them gifts, he becomes less of a monster in both the reader's eyes, and the children's. While Boo step out of his villainous character, his father, Mr. Radley, is being painted less as victim and more as "bad guy". Not only does he cement the hole in his tree that Boo has been using to give the children gifts, but he also has been trapping a more harmless looking Boo in his house for years. In addition, Mr. Radley was, and could still be, involved in a sinister-seeming religious group, similar to a cult. Chapter eight is dedicated the to characterization of the Radley's through plot development.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Alex’s comment, I agree that this event deepens the children’s sense of reality and their realization that Boo Radley is not a monster, but a kind person. Of course, we as readers do not know for certain that it was Boo Radley who gave Scout the blanket, but as Angel said, from the facts given, it can be inferred that it was in fact Boo who did this good deed. I agree with Angel that this enforces the theme of “no one is truly as that seem,” but I also believe, as I stated before and as Alex stated that this is part of the children maturing and coming out of their “magical” world, though more for Jem than Scout, because Scout is still too young to understand the meaning of this event. In response to Angel’s quote, I think that Jem says that quote while talking about Nathan Radley, but I’m not completely sure, because he was talking about Nathan Radley when he said the quote, though I may be wrong. I also agree with your link, because though those things may not be as serious as others, they deceive people, even though most people don’t think about those things like that as much. I’m not sure why the examples you provided had deceiving names, but perhaps they were identified or named back when people didn’t have as much knowledge as we do now, and named them based on what we know. I don’t believe that it is a part of every person to enjoy deceiving others, but everyone has deceived or will deceive in their lifetime, no matter how big or small. From this event, though it may not be quite evident yet, I think that it is part of the journey of the theme of Scout learning GOOD vs. EVIL and her finally figuring out that Boo Radley is not as bad a person as the rumors and gossip make him out to be.
ReplyDeleteResponding to Natalia's comment, I agree that Nathan Radley is being painted as "the bad guy" to the reader, but it is unclear why he is doing what he does. Does he do it because he is trying to protect Boo? Or is he doing it because he is ashamed or afraid of the consequences of Boo coming out?
ReplyDeleteEven though Jem is maturing and realizing the reality of Boo Radley, he sometimes acts like a child. This chapter showed two sides of Jem, the more responsible Jem and the childish Jem. This is shown during the fire when Jem listens to Atticus’s instructions and doesn't run off. Also, you see him taking care of Scout and acting as a older, more protective brother. The other side of Jem is shown when he is building the snowman. Do you think Jem has matured on the inside or do you think that sometimes he just acts mature but is still the same on the inside in the beginning of the book?
ReplyDeleteAmy: I thought that the quote was about Mr. Radley for a moment too but then Scout asks "who?" and Atticus (or Jem I'm not sure) replies "Boo."
ReplyDeleteNatalia: I agree with what you're saying as Mr. Radley seeming more as a bad guy now. But I am pretty sure Nathan is not Boo's father, he's his brother. Boo's father is already dead.
I agree with Angel that a lot of the book is Harper Lee hinting to certain ideas, but she never comes out and says them. In that way she leaves many of these ideas up to the reader to be aware of everything going on in a scene, like the one during the fire. In response to Amy's first question, I believe an element of what he is doing is to protect Boo because he knows what the people in the town say about him. I also believe that part of it has to do with what could happen if he does come out, and how people would expect him to act. I wonder what would happen if Boo did end up coming out of the house, and how that would influence Scout and Jem.
ReplyDeleteResponding to George's comment, I agree that there is clearly two sides to Jem, because referring from the previous chapter when Jem crys on the porch that is showing how he is in his stage in life where he is in between a mature figure and a playful child figure. On the other hand I disagree because building a snow man isn't necessarily a childish thing and is an activity for any age. Jem is shown differently throughout other chapters but for chapter eight i would say he is shown growing up more, than having a contrast between childish and adult like. Do you think that Jem is being shown with a contrast between mature and Immature in chapter 8?
ReplyDeleteOkay, responding to Angel's comment about my comment. Jem is talking about Nathan Radley when he says the quote you included I think, and then Atticus thinks that it was Boo Radley because it states that Atticus didn't understand a word Jem said, and then Atticus says, "'Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.'"(96) After that quote, Scout says, "'Thank who?'"(96) and then Atticus clarifies. Feel free to correct me if I'm missing something.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 8, Lee actually does tell the reader that it was Boo who put the blanket on Scout. Going on what other people have said, this finally changes Boo, in the eyes of Scout, into a real person. About what George was saying, it is very hard to tell whether Jem is mature or not. It seems like he goes in and out of maturity, but I realized that that is how children are, it doesn't all happen at once, and it is not very consistent. Do you think Jem is consistently maturing, or not?
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