Scout had heard accounts of people seeing a ghost. She had heard that this ghost gnawed on the bones of innocent house cats in the dead of night and tapped on screen doors. The all-elusive Boo Radley had become an infatuation. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch asks her neighbor, Miss Maudie, if she thinks Boo Radley is crazy. “If he’s not, then he should be by now. The things that happen to people we never really know. What happens in houses behind closed doors, what secrets-” (Lee 46) This novel is told from the perspective of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, a young girl who begins to see the different sides of human nature. Scout sparks an interest in her neighbor, Boo Radley. During the evolution of the novel, the attributes…show more content… When Arthur was young, he had gotten into trouble with the town’s sheriff. The county wanted to send Boo away to an asylum, but Boo’s father, Mr. Radley, refused to have a Radley in an asylum. Mr. Radley locked Boo into the Radley home. No one had seen Boo for more than 15 years. Some believed that that Boo would reappear when Mr. Radley had died. “’There goes the meanest man ever God blew breath into.’ murmured Calpurnia, she spat meditatively into the yard. We looked at her in surprise, for Calpurnia rarely commented on the ways of white people” (Lee 12). Mr. Nathan replaced Mr. Radley after he died, but Mr. Radley had already scarred Boo. He left his mark long after he was dead. Boo was not like most children who had loving parents. His father was portrayed as a cruel man who had little compassion. It can be concluded that Mr. Radley had abused Boo. Boo may have been damaged by his father’s cruelty, but his goodness was clearly not severed. He overcame his circumstances. Boo could have been calloused and bitter, but he was not. He was softhearted. It was still as if Boo was an innocent child. He did not let his environment shape him into someone who was harsh and…show more content… He gave the children gifts. A packet of gum, two polished Indian-head pennies, a ball of grey twine, a knife, two carefully carved soap dolls, a broken pocket watch, and a Macomb County Spelling Bee medal: these were the gifts given to the children through the knothole. “Well, Indian-heads- well, they come from the Indians. They’re real strong magic; they make you have good luck. Not like fried chicken when you’re not lookin’ for it, but things like long life ‘n’ good health ‘n’ passin’ six weeks tests… these are real valuable to somebody” (Lee 35). At this point in the book, Jem understands something Scout cannot grasp; he understands that someone had been giving them items that were treasured. Jem realized that Boo had been the one giving them these trinkets. Boo had stayed in his house since he was a teen, so he did not have many accomplishments or possessions that he could have valued. The only things that Boo must have valued would have been two polished Indian-head pennies, a knife, a broken pocket watch, and a Maycomb County Spelling Bee medal. He gave them things that he cherished… things that he took pride in. The majority of people would have kept items such as these in order to be reminded of their accomplishments, but Boo gave these children the things that meant the most to him. To most, these would be shrugged off as knickknacks or junk. In Boo’s eyes, these were treasures as fine as jewels. This not only
