The school year has come again, so Jem and Scout pass the Radley’s place every day on their way to school. Their views of the Radley’s have changed because of what they learned over the summer. Scout says “The Radley Place had ceased to terrify me, but it was no less gloomy, no less chilly under its great oaks, and no less uninviting.” (Lee 324) Scout is not afraid anymore of simple things she does not understand. She has grown up quickly and learned to respect other people’s space because of the challenges in her life. Over the summer Jem and Scout were forced to mature earlier to understand what is happening around them. Tom Robinson’s trial has showed them the racism in Maycomb and the rest of the Jim Crow South. As a result of this case Scout, who is only 8 years old knows and has experienced how differently people are treated based off of their race. Scout and Jem find this very disturbing but they are learning that this is just the way things are in Maycomb. Scout is not accepting racism, but becoming more aware of how present it is in her life and everyone else's. She is also beginning to understand why Boo Radley never comes out. As Jem says “... Boo Radley stays shut up in the house all the time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.” (Lee 304) Scout thinks Boo Radley never comes out because he doesn’t want to face the prejudice and racism of Maycomb.
I agree with Cordelia because this is an example of scout maturing and becoming a young woman. As scout has gotten more familiar and learned more about the world she lives in she has discovered that the Radley place is just another house on in Maycomb, and not anything to be afraid of anymore.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Cordelia. I believe that the Radley place becoming less scary, symbolizes Scout growing up. As the school year starts up again and when Scout and Jem start to walk past the Radley place everyday, Scout narrates, “The Radley Place had ceased to terrify me, but it was no less gloomy, no less chilly under its great oaks, and no less uninviting” (Lee 324). This quote represents that Scout has started to get used to the idea that the Radley house is just a normal house and the Radleys that live inside are just ordinary neighbors who want to be left alone. At the beginning of the novel, Scout, Jem, and dill were all afraid of the Radley house and what it contained, but now, they realize that there is nothing to fear.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cordelia. This quote shows that Scout is becoming more and more aware of all the quieted things that go on in Maycomb. She is growing up and she is also learning more about the world around her, this includes Arthur Radley.
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