Boo Radley was primarily known to those in Maycomb by the rumors about him. Miss Stephanie Crawford was notorious for spreading sensational rumors about Boo. Miss Stephanie told the children the story about Boo Radley and the scissors:
Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 1).
Stories like these created fear in the minds of Scout, Jem, Dill, and other Maycomb children. There were few people who offered any real information about Boo Radley. Atticus was sensible about Boo, but he preferred not to talk about the Radley family. Scout asked Miss Maudie for information, and she shared what she knew. Scout asked if Boo were still alive, and Miss Maudie told her that yes, he was. She also informed Scout that Boo's real name was Arthur. Boo stayed in the house all the time, but Miss Maudie recalled him as a young boy.
Later in the novel, it was revealed that Boo Radley was kind. He mended Jem's pants and covered Scout with a blanket on a cold night. He even rescued the children from Bob Ewell.
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