Who Really is Boo Radley?

Authors Note- I wrote a character analysis on Boo Radley. I analyzed how he affected other characters, how he affected the theme, and what type of character he was.
  

The fantasy of the Maycomb Monster, haunts  everyone in Maycomb County. He only comes out at night and kills everyone in his path. His hands are bloodstained from the raw animals he feasts on. He has a long jagged scar that runs across his face, and is teeth are rotten and yellow. Or so everyone thinks.  But who really is Boo Radley? In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the author introduces Boo Radley as just that, a mysterious legend. But, as the book goes on you start to see that Boo is a powerful symbol of goodness, hidden behind a cover of evil.

Boo Radley has a big impact on the character development of Jem and Scout. At first, they believe that Boo Radley is forced to stay inside the walls of his house. But as the story goes on they start receiving gifts from him, and finally at the end, Boo Radley saves them from Bob Ewell and they start to realize that; "Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time……..because he wants to stay inside." As Boo Radley starts to reveal himself, Jem and Scout turn from innocent young children who want to see the "dreadful Boo Radley", to young adults who start to understand Boo Radley as a person.

Throughout the book, Boo Radley's image changes. He seems to be an average  character, but at the end you realize he is a dynamic character who undergoes a major change in society. He starts off as a monster who then changes into a innocent-goodhearted person. Although you can't see him change as a person, his image changes.

The theme of innocence is shown all through the book. It's first shown through Jem and Scout, innocent kids who are unaware of the evil in the world. Next it is shown through Tom Robinson who is obviously innocent in his trial, but is plead guilty. Boo Radley is finally another excellent example of innocence.  He is introduced as the Maycomb Monster until the kids see the real him. They see a good person who is looking for a friend  and totally innocent behind all the rumors.

 Although Boo Radley isn’t  officially mentioned in the book a lot, he is in it the whole way, helping Jem and Scout grow up. The rumors and legends were passed on and on until Boo became a monster and phantom. So who really is  Boo Radley? He is just a good hearted, innocent man, looking for a friend.

Important Scene

The important scene I picked started on page 95. It’s the scene where there is a mad dog coming down the street and they pick Atticus to shoot it because he has the best shot. This scene is important to the book because Scout and Jem are worried that their dad can’t do anything and they are starting to get embarrassed because he is being a lawyer for a black person.  When Scout asks Miss Maudie why Atticus never told her that he could shoot so good, Miss Maudie said, when people have a gift to do something better then someone else, they don’t show it off. In the end, this scene showed that Atticus has many talents and he keeps them hidden from everybody.

The Changing Tree

Authors Note- I wrote my essay on the symbolism of the tree on the book Speak.

For many teens, school is a place full of bullies and problems. In the book Speak, Melinda not only has to deal with these everyday problems, but she has to deal with an issue that has changed her life forever. The author, Laurie Halse Anderson used the symbol the tree to represent Melinda's life, feelings, and problems. Throughout the book, you see Melinda struggling to draw the tree, and as the book goes on you see really how much the tree symbolizes.

In most books, trees are a symbol of life and growth. In Speak, trees are the symbol of death. Melinda seems to be dying from the inside because she is holding in her feelings and is refusing to tell anyone about what really happened. When Mr. Freeman gives Melinda her assignment, she refuses saying “This is too easy, I learned how to draw a tree when I was in the first grade”. Mr. Freeman tells her to perfect her tree and make it her own. I think Mr. Freeman was suggesting to put in what she really feels and to open up about her life.

Throughout the book, Melinda has troubles drawing her tree. She can’t bring the tree to life and it lacks dimension. Numerous times Melinda attempts drawing the tree, but it never turns out. One time she draws a beautiful tree, which makes Mr. Freeman mad because it is too perfect. Another time, she draws a tree getting struck by lightning, which shows her pain and struggles. Finally, at the end Melinda finally opens up about her rape and is able to draw the tree correctly. The ending tree shows her struggles and has parts of her life in it.  She adds a sick branch that represents her rape, and she adds that “it better get cut down before it infects the rest of the tree.”At the top, Melinda draws healthy young branches that reach up toward the sky, representing her re-growth as a person.

Not only was Melinda’s art assignment, the only time tree symbolism showed up, in fact, the tree in Melinda’s yard was also a big symbol. One day when Melinda was coming home from school, she sees that the tree was getting cut down. She tells her dad that they are killing it and he says, “They aren’t killing it, they are saving it. It has sick branches and if they don’t cut them off, they will kill the rest of the tree.” This is a big symbol and it represents the sick part of Melinda from the rape. He is telling her that if she doesn’t get over it and move on or open up about it, it will eventually take all of her and she will die.

Melinda had to overcome a lot through the book but in the end, she finally draws the tree right. She opens up about her rape and along the way gains some real friends. She overcomes the “dead” part of her and eventually begins her re-growth process.