Boo+Radley+-+chapters+7-8

On the last night of summer, Jem, Scout and Dill went into the Radley’s lot. Jem’s pants got tangled in the fence so he took them off and went back later. We now find out that when he went back, his trousers “were folded across the fence”. Jem expects that this was because they were expecting him to come back. Also, Jem tells Scout that his trousers were sown up, “not like a lady sewed ‘em…, it’s almost like-”, “-somebody knew you were coming back”. This is suggesting that it may in fact be Boo who sewed them up – on the Radley lot and male. However, Scout does not realise this, it is probably because he is younger. He is unaware that it may have been Boo that did the sewing, Jem however is more likely to realise as he is older and starts to say: “…it’s almost like-” and is then interrupted by Scout. Also, the individual must be watching the children to know them and what they are doing. Whoever it was, was caring and helpful. This is not the picture of Boo that we previously have – this is the first thing that starts to change ours and the children’s opinion of Boo.

Also, the children start to find things in the tree knot. Including some soap figures, they realise that they are miniatures of them. This suggests that the individual must have lots of time to spend making these and that they must watch Scout and Jem in order to see what they look like and what they wear etc. Because they are made out of soap, it could suggest that who every made them has little money or has maybe stolen them and doesn’t want to be found out. If this is the case, it could be Boo as he is supposedly in capture. By someone putting things in the knot, they must care about the kids and want to help and give to them but and unable to or don’t want to. This tree is symbolising Boo and it is his way of giving to the children without him doing it. Later, the tree is also blocked with cement by Mr Nathan Radley. This could represent that Boo has been locked and now the same has happened to the tree. When they children tell Atticus, is does not believe it is dead (Mr Radley’s excuse for blocking it up), he goes along with Mr Radley as he does not want to cause argument, and he is trying to set an example to the children that they have to leave the Radley’s alone. It is possible that Atticus realise that there is something going on.

Miss Maudie’s house burns and everyone in the neighbourhood goes out of their houses and stands in the street. Whilst the fire is being fought, Scout gets cold so Jem hugs her. But, later on, they realise that she has a blanket around her: “…whose blanket is that?”. Whoever it was must care about Scout and have realised that she was cold. Atticus realises that it was Boo as he goes on to say: “looks like all of Maycomb was out tonight, in one way or another”. // R.V //


 * In chapters 7-8**, Boo Radley makes another kind gesture after leaving the children objects to find in the knot-hole of the tree. His kindness is shown when Miss Maudie's house catches fire, and Atticus brings the children outside to safety. Once they get inside their house again, Scout finds herself with an unusual woollen blanket around her shoulders, and Jem comes to the conclusion that it was Boo. Atticus states that '[They] better keep this and the blanket to [themselves]. Some day, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.' This implies that Atticus could be keeping something about Boo from the children, possibly as a kind of protection for them, or it could also be a protection for Boo. This can be implied, as he says they'd better keep everything that had happened, and the blanket, to themselves, which shows that maybe Atticus did not want everyone in Maycomb county to know, and encourage the attention on the Radley Place. He also agrees with Jem when he says that he thinks that it was Boo looking after them, which suggests that Atticus could have some contact with Boo, but it is clearly personal. The fact that they did not see him at all when he gave them the blanket shows that Boo is a very shy person, but obviously cares for the children. This also links to the objects that he left in the knot-hole for them as he may miss his childhood.

P.B