The realistic fiction novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is about family, death, and promises. The character of Scout Finch is a young girl and is also the narrator of the story. The character of Jem Finch is Scout’s brother who is protective of Scout. The character Arthur “Boo” Radley is the neighbor of Scout, stays inside a lot, and is thought of as a “Monster”. Boo Radley symbolizes the Mockingbird When Boo Radley helps Scout and Jem in secret, it causes what other neighbors thought was a monster into a kind and innocent gentleman. A major event that happens is when “Jem jumps over the Radley’s wire fence while being chased with Mr.Nathan Radley‘s shotgun, he gets stuck, rips and loses his pants, Boo takes the pants and sews the rips and hangs it back up on the fence for Jem.“ (Westwood)
In this quote it is shown that Boo Radley and the Mockingbird both share generosity, this is shown by Boo fixing Jem’s ripped pants and hanging them back where he lost them, this is why Boo and the Mockingbird share courage. An example of B00 Radley symbolizing the Mockingbird is when, “he saves Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell trying to kill them, “his courage in coming out to defend Scout and Jem exemplifies how misunderstood Boo has been. In reality, Boo is a true hero.” (Westwood) In this quote it shows that Boo Radley and the Mockingbird both share courage, this is shown by Boo defeating his shyness to save Jem and Scout, knowing that Boo was watching over the kids proves he cares deeply for them Boo risked his life for the kids and fighting Bob, this is why Boo and the Mockingbird share courage.
As Eva Labiak explains on page 351 of To Kill a Mockingbird “They are attacked and hurt badly.” She suggests “After Radley saves the children’s lives, the sheriff of the community wants to keep the heroic deed a secret because he says “draggin’” him (Radley) with his shy ways into the limelight—to me that a sin. (Labiak) In this quote it is shown that Boo and the Mockingbird both share heroism, this is shown as said in the quote when Heck Tate, says Boo is heroic for saving the children‘ Boo symbolizes the Mockingbird exists and is important in the novel because he took challenges and was brave enough to destroy his shyness and save young lives in his community.
All in all, it has been shown Boo Radley is an important symbol of the Mockingbird and to support the idea that Boo Radley symbolizes the Mockingbird and is an essential symbol When Boo leaves Jem and Scout’s presents, it showed the symbol of B00 being the Mockingbird. This allows the reader of To Kill a Mockingbird can look at the world and themselves and think about the next time they judge one another, Arthur “Boo” Radley was never bad, and he and the Mockingbird share one thing best of all innocence.