Explain Jem’s statement: “When I went back they were folded across the fence . . . like they were expectin’ me.” - Paul Chen


After Jem snuck out to retrieve the pants he lost at the Radley’s place, he was shocked after finding them sewed and folded across the fence. Even though Jem and Scout think that the person behind this was someone close to them, the clues hint that Boo Radley was actually the one who fixed Jem’s pants. In Chapter 5 Miss Maudie shared that Boo was a very polite kid and always spoke nicely to her. Jem described his pants as “Not like a lady sewed ‘em, like somethin I’d try to do”(66) implying that this was done by someone with poor sewing skills ruling Mrs. Radley out of the conversation but Boo Radley on the other hand could fit this description. Jem’s other statement about how it was like “somebody was readin’ my mind” might not have a result of his young age and his beliefs in things like hot steams. Boo could have just left it on the fence knowing that someone would comeback for it. After just given the information about Boo’s personality, it's safe to assume that Harper Lee is using this accident to give the reader some more incite on who Boo Radley really is. All the overwhelming amount of stories about Boo made Jem and Scout ignore any possibility that Boo was responsible for such an act of kindness despite Miss Maudie’s words about Boo as a kid.

Could Boo have a kind personality? Why or why not?

Do you think Scout and Jem will change their opinion on Boo.

Do you think Dill will change his opinion on Boo.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2019 at 7:08 PM

    It is hard to tell whether Scout and Jem will change their opinions on Boo. On the one hand, Scout has become more aware of the fact that Boo is human just as she is. From the beginning of the book, we have seen her slowly begin to slightly change her perspective of Boo after receiving the information about him as a child. On the other hand, Harper Lee shows that Scout remains just as afraid to be in his presence, despite her slight change in perspective. Jem, however, is in some ways the opposite of Scout. Jem is or at least acts as though, he is much less afraid to be in the presence of Boo. However, Jem still views him as some sort of monster or creature rather than a human. I do feel that throughout the novel both Scout and Boo will change their opinions of Boo, but what I'm still left wondering about is how they will change their opinions.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2019 at 7:34 PM

    I believe that Scout and Jems ideas about Boo will slowly change. Already in the book, their ideas on who/what Boo Ridley is have changed drastically. The book began with them thinking that he was some type of monster, and has now moved to the point where they are inviting him to hang out and have ice cream with them. Lee makes it very clear for the reader to see the steps that Scout and Jem have taken in trusting Boo more, and seeing him in more than one way. A big reason they had this change of mind was because Miss Maudie explained his situation to Scout in a more realistic way than Jem had been doing, which allowed her to actually understand Boo for the first time. They also heard the laughter of someone in Boo’s house, and even if it wasn’t Boo, it shows them that they are actual people and not evil monsters. Although they moved forward from the original idea of Boo, the fact that Boo used a gun to scare them off most certainly made them reconsider some of the new ideas on him. Do you think that the fact that Boo did that will change their perspective on Boo again?

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2019 at 8:03 PM

    I think Boo could have a kind personality. There are many rumors about the Radley’s that were spread around Maycomb. People have many assumptions about Boo because of the stories. Miss Maudie said that Boo was very kind and polite when he was a kid. It is possible that Boo could be kind and normal, but rumors have dehumanized him.

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