Therefore, the speculations about him continue.
Although he sometimes peeped through his door to have an affectionate look at the children, he never emerges out of his home, which terrifies them at first. As the three enjoy each other for two summer breaks, they soon find out that somebody is leaving gifts for them in the tree outside the house of Radley, the recluse. However, the children’s imaginations weave tales about the recluse, making him a butt of their rumors as well as tales. Living in austerity, the recluse, termed Boo, in the neighborhood, who always stays away from the community. Jem also joins them and the trio enjoy life but are terrified of the recluse, Arthur Radley, who lives in their neighborhood in Maycomb. Named as Scout Jean Louise Finch, the girl befriends Dill, a boy, who visits her town, Maycomb, each summer to pass his holidays with his aunt. Ironically, watching the injustice that Tom suffers helps the children understand why Boo may choose to be a recluse: "'it's because he wants to stay inside.The narrator of the novel is the six-year-old girl, Scout, who lives with her brother and father in Maycomb. They assign characteristics to Boo without validation they want to see Boo, not as their neighbor, but as a carnival-freak-show-type curiosity. The children treat Boo with as much prejudice as the town shows Tom Robinson. Truthfully, he probably knew that helping her without pay was not the safest thing for him to do, but the compassion of one human being for another won out over societal expectations. The moment that Mayella makes a pass at Tom, he inherently knows that he's in serious danger. Boo and Tom have had minor skirmishes with the law, but that past doesn't tarnish the kindness they show to others in the story. The reader can fairly assume that Boo is also familiar with the Ewells, and probably doesn't think much more of them than the rest of Maycomb. Unbeknownst to the Finch children, Boo has watched them grow up. Ewell didn't seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun.'" Tom helps Mayella at great personal expense.īoth men know their town very well. On the witness stand, he testifies that he gladly helped her because "'Mr. Tom also recognizes Mayella as a person in need. But Boo is undeterred and loves them, even with the probable knowledge that he is the object of their cruel, childish games. Radley wouldn't have cemented the knothole. For all practical purposes, Tom's life ends when a white woman decides to accuse him of rape.īoo sees Scout and Jem as his children, which is why he parts with things that are precious to him, why he mends Jem's pants and covers Scout with a blanket, and why he ultimately kills for them: "Boo's children needed him." Apparently his family disapproves of his affection for the children or Mr. Whatever Boo's problems may be, the reader knows that something happened to Boo that has caused him to become a recluse. As a result of these handicaps, both men's lives are cut short. Tom is physically handicapped, like a bird with a broken wing, but his race is probably a bigger "disability" in the Maycomb community. However, no character sheds any light on his actual condition, leaving the reader wondering whether Boo's family protects him or further handicaps him. Lee hints that he may be physically unhealthy, and she makes statements that lead the reader to believe he may be mentally unstable. In this case however, one mockingbird is shot, the other is forced to kill.īoo and Tom are handicapped men. The novel's title is a metaphor for both men, each of whom is a mockingbird. By juxtaposing these two characters, Lee proves that justice and compassion reach beyond the boundary of color and human prejudices.
#THEMES IN TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD EMPATHY FULL#
Full Glossary for To Kill a Mockingbirdīoo Radley and Tom Robinson share many similarities in spite of fact that one man is white and the other black.Famous Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird.
#THEMES IN TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD EMPATHY MOVIE#
Comparing To Kill a Mockingbird to Its Movie Version.Racial Relations in the Southern United States.Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie Atkinson.
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