To Kill a Mockingbird Literature Essay Example

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we are introduced to three curious children and an enigmatic figure known as Boo Radley. Set in a small, southern town where rumours spread like wildfire. We follow the children on their journey to maturity. Boo remains a constant metaphor for their growth. As he changes from monster to hero. 

In the beginning of the novel, the children are still naïve and innocent. As most children do, they allow their imaginations to run free, this is undeniably clear in their perception of Boo. “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom.” This description Scout provides us with gives the reader a good indication of the children’s mentality towards Boo. Scout depicts Boo as a phantom this is an idea of fiction, born out of someone’s imagination. Because of the circulation of rumors surrounding Boo, the children can only see him as some sort of villain who only wishes the worst for those around him.  

Therefor the reader can glean that the children have not yet begun their journey of development towards an adulthood. Simply they are putting the information they gather from the adults around them into a story. They do not connect Boo to a real person rather a form of fuel for their imaginations. “It was a melancholy little drama, woven from bits and scraps of gossip and neighborhood legend.” This is however, one of the first instances where we can see the children’s curiosity become stronger. As they play their game “Boo Radley” they begin giving their own interpretations of who Boo Radley is. Their fear begins to vanish. 

Furthermore, as we progress through the book the children especially Jem begin to mature, wanting to form their own opinions of Boo Radley, like their role models Atticus and Miss Maudie. “We are going to give a note to Boo Radley.” The children are tired of simply believing what they are told, now they are trying to contact him. They begin to see him as a real human being, he is no longer a “phantom”. And so, their journey to maturity begins. 

This however is only the beginning of a long, formidable journey towards adulthood. The book has very strong themes of losing innocence. Lee uses Boo Radley as a very literal “record” of the children’s growth, as their perception changes of Boo we can see how they mature.