Melinda Sanchez

Mr. Martin

English A3

20 March 2018

Pa Draft

In TKAMB characters in Maycomb are put through many obstacles such as.. “I think I’m

beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s

stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he wants to stay inside.” said Jem (304)

Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird the storyline shows how the town Maycomb grows

as a whole. We can see this through the characters and shifts in attitude towards the society in

Maycomb. When the book first starts off Maycomb is in a bad state where there is a lot of

racism and judgment going around. Towards the end we see change in characters to start

respecting one another and give more thought on how others live.

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the characterization of jem helps to reveal the

theme knowledge constructs maturity. In chapter 1 Dill dares Jem to go and touch Boo Radley's

house, this is a big thing in a kids eyes because Boo is portrayed as an evil monster/ killer and

would get anyone that went near his house. Of course Jem and the kids being young, believe

these things they hear around Maycomb and think Boo is a terrible man. Dill then accused Jem

of being scared and that he is not going to go through with the dare. Although Jem is afraid of

Boo, Jem sees dares as an act of showing bravery because he is immature and decides to go
through with the dare. On page 17 it says “Jem wanted Dill to know once and for all that he

wasn't scared of anything.” In chapter 1 Jem, Dill, and Scout are all talking about Boo Radley.

Since Dill is fairly new to Maycomb Jem and Scout are filling Dill in on all the rumors heard

about Boo. When Dill asks Jem what Boo looks like Jem gives a monster-like description due to

his innocence as a child and him thinking of him as a monster. On page 16 it says “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.” As the story goes on Jem starts to

mature as a person and realizes things about Maycomb. Jem starts talking less and less about

Boo Radley. In chapter 23 Jem is explaining to scout about the background of family and how

things in Maycomb are. Even though “people are all people” they can't seem to get along with

each other. On page 304 jem then goes to say “Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand

something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all

this time...it's because he wants to stay inside.” Throughout the book Jem goes from an immature

little boy who causes trouble in his neighborhood and believes rumors in Maycomb to a more

thoughtful person who starts thinking about other people's feelings and why Maycomb is the way

it is.This shows that Jem values other people's feelings and emotions. The theme of this book is

knowledge constructs maturity. The characterization of Jem helps to reveal the theme by

showing how over-time Jem progressed as a person and began to become more mature. As he

notices that there is more than what meets the eye in Maycomb he begins to realize not to judge
people unless you are in their shoes and know the whole story. Being given this information he

begins to treat people with respect and tries to set an example for his younger sister, Scout.

In to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the symbolism of the Radley’s house reveals the

theme silence brings fear . In chapter 1 Jem and Scout are telling Dill about Maycomb. They go

on to tell him about the Radley’s house which he is immediately fascinated with. They describe

the Radley house by saying “people still looked at the Radley place, unwilling to discard their

initial suspicions. A Negro would not pass by the Radley place at night...the nuts lay untouched

by the children: Radley pecans would kill you. A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball

and no questions asked.” (10-11) The Radley’s place represents the sort of fear/mystery in

Maycomb since the quote says things like “A Negro would not pass by the Radley place at

night” and “Radley pecans would kill you.” These are both signs of fear towards the house

because people are so paranoid about the Radley house they won't walk near it or even eat things

that come from that house. The symbolism of the Radley house reveals the theme silence brings

fear by showing just how afraid people can be of a quiet house. The Radley’s are known to not

often go outside their house, talk to anyone, or go to normal things like church. This makes them

appear as strange and that there is something else (like evilness) going on with them.

The symbolism of the oak tree gifts reveals the theme kindness forms friendships. In

chapter 7 Jem and Scout walk pass the oak tree and find (once again) something in the knot of

the tree. Over time they recieve things like pennies, soap, watches and chains. The oak tree gifts

show a symbolism of friendship. The book later goes on to say “Boo was our neighbor. He gave
us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain,a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives.” (171)

The quote stating “Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls..” goes to show that boo

was trying to show kindness to Scout and Jem by leaving gifts in order to build a sense of

friendship with them. This symbolism reveals the theme kindness forms friendships by showing

how acts of kindness can bring people closer together. As Boo Radley goes on to give the

children gifts and save their lives Jem and Scout start to feel a different way towards him. In the

beginning of the book they thought of him as an evil guy and were petrified by him whereas

towards the end they are no longer afraid of him and come to think of him as a good guy.