Wednesday, February 19, 2014

How does the writer handle the appearance of Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

Early in the story, Boo is kept shrouded in mystery and intrigue. We suspect that he "appears" in places like the burning of Miss Maudie's house, where he covers Scout with a blanket. We are also given evidence that he is sending trinkets and treasures to the children using the knot hole in the tree until it is sealed up by Nathan Radley, Arthur's father.

When at last we do get to "see" Boo in Chapter 29, his appearance matches the predictions we may have made as readers: He is pale from having been kept indoors, his hair is described as thin and wispy, and he is also described as exceedingly thin or gaunt. The reader, by this time in the novel, should have established or "guesstimated" a mental picture of Boo, and Lee delivers that picture down to the last detail. 

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