Essay Sample: What Does It Mean to Be a Victim in to Kill a Mockingbird

Many people perceive it as being physically wounded by an act or being emotionally deceived by someone. However, it can also mean being negatively impacted by an indirect act. As shown in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, an indirect action, such as being discussed negatively, can make someone a victim. As a result, Boo Radley, a victim of society’s delusion, is a mockingbird.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley is a mockingbird because he is a victim of society’s misinterpretation. Maycomb residents misread Boo Radley and believe he is a monster just because he does not conform to Maycomb's conventional standards. The Radleys separate themselves and avoid contact with the rest of Maycomb's residents. They do not go to church every Sunday like the rest of Maycomb. As unusual and peculiar as the Radleys already are, “The shutters and doors of the Radley house were closed on Sundays, another thing alien to Maycomb’s ways: closed doors meant illness and cold weather only” (Lee 11). Boo does not fit into Maycomb's cultural standards as a result of his innocent activities, and many regard him as a monster. When Dill asks Jem a visual of Boo Radley, Jem reveals how he views Boo Radley: the perfect description of a monster. He describes Boo by saying “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (16). Maycomb residents have formed a distorted impression of Boo Radley simply because he “was not seen again for fifteen years”. Despite the fact that Boo Radley has not hurt or insulted anyone, society shuns him and regards him as less than human. Boo Radley personifies a mockingbird in this way since “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” (Lee 119). Boo Radley is anything but a monster. He is a quiet, intellectual man who has been drained by his ruthless father, who has isolated him from the outside world. Despite the fact that the people of Maycomb regard Boo as a terrible creature, he is a compassionate and sensitive man. He has never had the opportunity to express himself or prove his sentiments, but he attempts to do so when he leaves gifts for the children in the knothole. He also expresses generosity by mending Jem's clothes and draping a blanket over Scout on the night of the fire. Despite the fact that Boo is bashful and prefers not to show his face outdoors, he kills Bob Ewell and takes the injured Jem home, saving Jem and Scout from being murdered. Therefore, the citizens of Maycomb have a misinterpreted vision of Boo Radley.

Finally, Boo Radley is a victim of Maycomb's community since he is misunderstood by the citizens, turning him into a true mockingbird. He is regarded as a creature since he is unlike other Maycomb residents in that he does not attend church or socialize with others. These reasons, and more, contribute to the citizens’ illusion of Boo Radley, leading them to believe he is a beast who preys on raw squirrels. Despite the fact that the people of Maycomb regard Boo as a terrible creature, he is a compassionate and sensitive man.  He demonstrated this in a variety of ways, including rescuing Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell. Therefore, because of his innocent and considerate actions, Boo Radley is an accurate representation of a mockingbird.