Despite the verdict, Bob Ewell feels that Atticus has made a fool out of him and gets his revenge by attacking Jem and Scout. Boo Radley then intervenes and accidentally kills Bob Ewell. Boo then takes Jem home and this is where Scout see’s Boo Radley for the first time.
Arthur “Boo” Radley is a recluse who never sets foot outside his house. He is the symbol of goodness in the midst of turmoil, leaving presents for Jem and Scout to collect and emerging at an opportune moment to save the children. Boo was once an intelligent child, but progressed into the shy character that is shown in the book, because of constant abuse at the hands of his father. Boo provides an example of the threat that evil poses to innocence and goodness. The story shows how such characters as Boo Radley are not prepared for the evil that they encounter, and, as a result they are destroyed inside. The children learnt a lot from thinking of Boo Radley, as they grew and progressed through life. Their attitude towards him also changed throughout the story.
Boo is one of the novels main “mockingbirds”; a good person injured by the evil of mankind.
Atticus Finch is one of the major characters within the book. He is a lawyer who possesses important qualities such as wisdom and intelligence and because of these qualities he is respected by everyone within Maycomb County, especially the Black community. He functions as the moral backbone of Maycomb, and as a person the people of the town look up to and aspire to. These qualities soon turn him into a figure of hate, as he agrees to defend Tom Robinson. As Tom is a black man, the town see Atticus as a man who is turning his back on traditions, as the people within the town have an ingrained racial prejudice. Atticus raises his children, Scout and Jem, to have a sense of morality and justice and to always see the good within people. He is one of the few people within the town to possess such qualities.
Boo Radley and Atticus Finch are both pivotal characters within “To kill a Mockingbird” and without these characters, there would be no strong storyline. Although at the end of the book Boo Radley saves the children from death, and is the hero on the day – I believe the true hero of the novel is Atticus Finch.
I believe Atticus to be the hero because of the way he stands up for what he believes to be right, and for the way he has brought up his children. Atticus recognizes that all people have good and bad qualities. Because of this he tries to oversee the negative qualities within people and recognizes the good, which he believes to be in all people. He passes this moral lesson onto Scout. Atticus says many wise things within the novel. One of the most important quotes is “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view….until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. This quotation was said to Scout in an attempt to make her develop an understanding towards other peoples feelings, and at the end of the book she understands Boo Radleys perspective. Another important quote within the book is “remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”. This quote provides the source of the title and one of the key metaphors within the book. Atticus Finch has ethical values and has many moral stances. He practices accountability meaning he truly understands his influence upon issues and situations that surround him. As a lawyer, a father and also a member of society, Atticus has an obligation to uphold to society and I believe he does so in a heroic way.
In conclusion, I feel that both characters have pivotal roles within the novel. However, in my opinion, I believe Atticus Finch to be the true hero as he provides the novel with various issues that make him a respectable heroic man, and the real hero of “To kill a Mockingbird”.
