To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely an excellent novel in that
             it portrays life and the role of racism in the 1930's. A reader may
             not interpret several aspects in and of the book through just the
             plain text. Boo Radley, Atticus, and the title represent such things.
             At the end of the novel, Arthur "Boo" Radley clearly plays an
             important role in the development of both Scout and Jem.
             In the beginning of the story, Jem, Scout, and Dill fabricate
             horror stories about Boo. They find Boo as a character
             of their amusement, and one who has no feelings whatsoever. They
             tried to get a peep at him, just to see what Boo looked like. Scout
             connects Boo with the Mockingbird. Mrs. Maudie defines a mockingbird
             as one who "...don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They
             don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do
             one thing but sing their hearts out for us" (94). Boo is exactly
             that. Boo is the person who put a blanket around Scout and Jem when
             it was cold. Boo was the one putting "gifts" in the tree. Boo even
             sewed up Jem's pants that tore on Dill's last night. Boo was the one
             who saved their lives. On the contrary to Scout's primary belief, Boo
             never harms anyone. Scout also realizes that she wrongfully treated
             Boo when she thinks about the gifts in the tree. She never gave
             anything back to Boo, except love at the end. When Scout escorts
             Arthur home and stands on his front porch, she sees the same street
             she saw, just from an entirely different perspective. Scout learns
             what a Mockingbird is, and who represents one.
             Arthur Radley not only plays an important role in developing
             Scout and Jem, but helps in developing the novel. Boo can be divided
             into three stages. Primitively, Boo is Scout's worst nightmare.
             However, the author hints at Boo actually existing as a nice person
             when he pl...