To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, three children are intrigued with a man who is different from everyone else in their community. Scout, Jem, and Dill are fascinated by Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley because of rumors. These rumors would not have started if Boo wasn’t isolated. Since he is isolated from his town, he leaves presents for the children in the tree. Scout, Jem, and Dill have an obsession with Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley because of the stories that have been told, his seclusion from the greater population, and from the gifts he left from them in a tree.
The three children are intrigued with Boo Radley because of what they have heard. According to the rumors, Boo looks like a grotesque monster, which catches the imagination of the children. “Boo was six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were always bloodstained – if you ate raw animal, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped and he drooled most of the time” (Lee, 12). The children’s fascination is driven by the way he “looks”, therefore they want to make Boo come outside so they can actually see him. These rumors would not have been started if Boo was able to come outside, and if he had interactions with others in Maycomb.
Since Boo never comes outside and never has any interactions with anyone besides his family, it makes the children wonder about him. Boo has been locked away inside of his house for over fifteen years. “The doors of the Radley house were closed on weekdays as well as Sundays, and Mr. Radley’s boy was not seen again for fifteen years” (Lee, 10). It is suspicious that Boo has rarely been seen, and that he doesn’t come outside, which makes the children more drawn to him. If Boo had come outside and had social interactions with others, he would not have left gifts for them

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