The Mystery of Boo Radley Rachel Ten Hove
Every character seems to have a different perspective of who Boo is and what he does inside of the house, all by himself. Other characters aren't even sure what to make of him, but intend to find out.
JEM
Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was about 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 bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, 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.
SCOUT
Every night-sound I heard from my cot on the back porch was magnified threefold; every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley seeking revenge, every passing Negro laughing in the night was Boo Radley loose and after us; insects splashing against the screen were Boo Radley’s insane fingers picking the wire to pieces; the chinaberry trees were malignant, hovering, alive.
DILL
He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out.
MISS STEPHANIE
“According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the living-room cutting some items from the Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulling them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.”
THE TOWN OF MAYCOMB
Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work.
I think that Boo Radley isn't insane or crazy like most of the people in Maycomb think he is. I believe that he is scared to come out of hiding and maybe is using the children to create a friendship. He is possibly scared of coming out because of the rumours about him and the stories people have made up about what he does inside.
I think that Boo Radley is the one leaving gifts in the tree for the children as a way of forming a friendship. He also may be using it as a way of entertaining himself because he is lonely and sees the children as someone to "play" with.
Even though most people think Boo is crazy and no one should approach the Radley house, I believe Boo is merely looking for a friend. It is possible that Boo merely gets lonely all by himself and is looking to form a friendship with the children. I think he is trying to be friendly by leaving gifts in the tree for the children and by covering Scout up during the fire to keep her warm. I believe Boo is far from dangerous and if only given a chance, could be a great person in the town of Maycomb.
As for who Boo Radley really is... I guess we'll never know. At least not until he comes out himself and explains the truth about what happened.
What Mr. Radley did was his own business. If he wanted to come out, he would.
-Atticus