To show
Arthur Radley’s caring feelings for Scout, Harper Lee has him place a blanket
across her shoulders as a symbol of protection and warmth. In the middle of the
night, Atticus wakes Scout and Jem up when he notices Miss Maudie’s house on
fire. He tells the two children to stand in front of the Radley house and not
move at all while he helps out to try to stop the fire. The brother and sister are so focused on the
fire, that they don’t notice when someone comes up behind them and gently
places a blanket over Scout’s shoulders. Once they get home, after the fire is
put out, Atticus points out the blanket and the three of them figure that it
had to be Arthur Radley, as all the other town citizens were helping with the
fire.
Arthur
Radley has been looking out for Jem and Scout. As said by Scout, “I became
aware that I was slowly freezing where I stood. Jem tried to keep me warm, but
his arm was not enough” (Lee, 94). Arthur noticed that Scout was cold, and he
tried to help her by giving her the blanket to give her extra warmth. He wants
to make sure that the kids are okay and happy, as they are the only ones who
notice him and want to meet him. The kids are the only ones who pay attention
to him. It seems as if he likes them and wants to be kind in return. By giving
Scout the blanket, Arthur is looking out for Jem and Scout almost like a
guardian angel would.
How will the blanket event change Jem and Scout’s opinion of
Arthur Radley?
How will Arthur’s guardian angel persona play out with the
community’s negative reactions to the Finch family with Atticus’ defense of Tom
Robinson?
I agree with you that Arthur (Boo) Radley might play the role of their "guardian angel" in the future. I think that the Finch kids are going to go through some tough times that Boo, with his protective personality, could in fact help them through. "Scout's got to learn to use her head and learn soon, with what's in store for her these next few months... she and Jem will have to absorb some ugly things pretty soon." (Lee, 116). With these ugly things coming, Scout and Jem will have to maintain a positive attitude and "use their heads" or else they could end up in a dangerous situation. Boo could be that caring figure that keeps them safe when Atticus becomes more involved in his controversial trial.
ReplyDeleteIt’s strange that Boo Radley would put the blanket over Scout’s shoulders because after many years trapped in the house, you think he would become crazy. Uncle Joe has not been locked up for that long and he doesn’t even know how to care about children, “your daughter gave me my first lesson this afternoon…(Lee, 115).” This shows that even though Boo Radley was locked up in the house for so long, he still knows how to take care of children.
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