Scout, Jem and Dill have always questioned the ongoings within the Radley household and the situation with Boo Radley. At the end of chapter 14 Scout asks Dill why he hasn't ran off. "Maybe he doesn't have anywhere to run off to..." (Lee 192). Dill doesn't believe that Boo has anywhere to go. Boo has been locked up in his house for years. He doesn't know anyone or anywhere that he go to. Mr. Radley has isolated Boo from the outside world for years. If Boo should decide to leave the house he would have no one to help him. Aside from maybe the Finches no one really feels bad for Boo. They are scared off him. They see him as just another mad dog. They jump to the conclusion that Boo is a dangerous person when he may actually be a victim. The town of Maycomb sees Boo in a different light. They see him as a mad dog when the Finches see him as a mockingbird. Boo has never really hurt anyone, he's just become a victim.
I'm not sure if you can completely call him a mockingbird, or a victim. While he is a victim of imprisonment, he was possibly driven insane in his time there, shown when he stabbed his father in the leg (Lee 13). It is possible that he is more gentle or quiet now, but after being trapped for nearly two decades, it is much more likely to be the opposite. He is a mockingbird in the sense that he was trapped, but he is still potentially dangerous.
ReplyDeleteThere is another possible reason why Boo Radley may not want to leave home. Dill and Scout talk about needing someone and being needed. Scout says, “Even Calpurnia couldn’t get along unless I was there. They needed me” (Lee 191). Dill says later that his parents could get along fine without him, which is why he ran away. Nathan Radley may need Boo for some reason that Boo would feel guilty if he left.
ReplyDelete