Friday, October 9, 2015

Why does Scout say the Radley place has ceased to terrify her in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Scout is no longer terrified by the Radley place as she stands on the porch and looks across at her own house because she is finally able to "climb into [another's] skin and walk around in it."


Having met Arthur Radley in her home and realized how timid--yet courageous in love--he is, Scout now perceives him as a real person of genuine emotion and a certain dignity. Whatever has occurred in his past, Boo Radley has proven himself the strongest of Christians because he has risked his own life to save those of the two children he has loved from the distance of his window.


In Chapter 31, Scout walks Arthur home, taking his arm as though he escorts her down the street as a gentleman would, just in case Miss Stephanie or others see them. Once on his porch, Arthur quietly enters his house and silently goes inside and shuts the door. This is the last time Scout ever sees him; however, she is left with a lasting impression:



Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.



When she returns home, Scout tells her father that during the attack by Bob Ewell, she was not frightened. "...nothin's really scary except in books." Later, as she starts to fall asleep, Scout tells her father that Arthur is "real nice." Atticus responds, "Most people are...when you finally see them."


As she stands on the Radley porch, Scout has finally "seen" Arthur Radley as a person of genuine character. 

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