The last line of chapter four, is, "Someone inside the house was laughing." Harper Lee is telling us that Boo Radley isn't actually dead like the Jem and Dill think he is. "Scout, how is he gonna know what we'er doin'? Besides, I don't think he is still there. He died years ago and they stuffed him up the chimney." (51) Jem thinks Boo is dead but Scout still believes he is in there. All this time since the accident in the tier, Scout has known that someone besides Nathan was in the Radley house because she herd someone laughing at her when she crashed next to the Radley house and the laugh was coming from inside the house. All the time she was keeping her secret, Jem and Dill didn't worry about Boo Radley. During the day, no one should have been in the Radley house with Nathan at work. This only leaves one option. The only other Radley that might be alive with the father dead would be Boo. Harper Lee also shows that the person inside the house is laughing. If it is Boo, he is laughing. Even though he was laughing at a little girl crashing in a tire, he was laughing, which means that he was happy for that period of time. The giggle can tell the reader that he isn't a terrible guy, but might be a nice guy that just does not want to be seen because what he has done in the past. He might have been a little bit angry back then, but people can change and it is possible that Boo Radley did too when he came back to Maycomb, Alabama.
Will Scout tell Jem and Dill that Boo could possibly be or that the was someone in the house when she crashed? What impact does Boo being alive have on how Jem and Dill go about their day?
Boo Radley's laugh was "so low I could not have heard it from the sidewalk." This shows that the laugh was probably more of an evil grimace then an actual chuckle made up of pure pleasure. I believe that not much, if anything has changed about Boo Radley. Something dangerous like rolling around super fast in a small tire is dangerous and would only make immature adults laugh. This leads me to believe that Boo has something up his sleeve for later on.
ReplyDeleteWas the laugh a good laugh or a mean laugh? How does his Laugh reflect his character? Had he been watching the kids play for a while or had just happened to look out at that minute?
I do not necessarily think that Boo actually had to be laughing for Scout to hear him laughing. One aspect of looking at this is that Scout's imagination could have made up him laughing. The gossip of the town and somewhat of a hatred toward those that do not function in Maycomb's community. This gossip build up the idea that Boo Radley is a freak who,"dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch." I believe that Harper Lee put this in the text to show what Maycomb's gossip has built up to the point that it is affecting people's thoughts and even can cause wild imaginations of things happening. The other side of the coin is that he actually did hear him laugh. If this is true, then I disagree with Lyon's point. This is because Harper Lee could have put this in the text to show how the society's gossip can actually affect Boo's behavior in real life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lyons' thoughts about Boo Radley being a person that is no where close to the rumored descriptions. Though I understand how Danny might think differently about this topic, I find it unlikely that rumors can change a person so drastically. Say that Boo was an innocent and normal man to begin with. I know accusations and rumors can seriously affect how one thinks of his or her self, as I've observed similar scenarios in my own lifetime, however, never to the point of completely redesigning an original identity.
ReplyDeleteSo far, a large theme is Harper Lee's novel is about stereotypes and assumptions about the Radley family in particular. These are themes that have been discussed and read about before reading this novel: in the book Monster, making assumptions is a large portion of the plot, as well as an essay that we completed last week. As this theme continues in To Kill A Mockingbird, my predictions for Boo Radley is that the stories told about him are the only things that people can classify him with, as no one else that we know of can identify who he really is. I think that Boo is truly different than everyone expects him to be.
I don't believe that the last line in the fourth chapter was mainly emphasizing on whether the laugh was a "good" or "bad" chuckle. I think the laugh was an eerie way of telling the readers that the house is not empty. Now that we readers know that the Radley House may be inhabited by not only Nathan, but Boo too (just as Scout assumed), this helps the Boo Radley yarn continue to unwind. The description of the laughter may add more to the Boo case; "…I heard another sound, so low I could not have heard it from the sidewalk." (54) The lowness of the chuckle could have been the tone but also could be that the supposed person, Boo, was laughing from the basement. So no matter how loud the laugh it would not be heard from outside the Radley gates. Boo might be down there because of numerous reasons. One could be since he is shunned by Maycomb-everyone thinks he is crazy/dead- he wants to left alone even if he has changed. Another, more in Jem/Dill's view, Nathan Radley could be hiding Boo in the house because Boo is still insane. Either way the last sentence adds a lot of dramatic open-ended questions at the end of an innocent, slow moving chapter.
ReplyDeleteQuestions: If we can suppose Boo is alive do you think he is the one leaving the tinfoil treats in the tree? What do you think Jem/Dill’s reaction will be to the laughter news?
Agreeing with Margaret, I don't think the laugh was supposed to be 'good', or 'bad,' it was just supposed to show that the Radley house isn't empty. Scout hears, "someone inside the house laughing," pg. 54. She hears the laughing when she crashes into the house in the tire. When Scout walks home from school, she see's tinfoil in the tree at the Radley house. Scout barely even thought twice before reaching up, and taking home the tinfoil, where she later ate the gum inside it happily. Answering Margaret's question, I do think Boo is living in the house and is leaving the tinfoil in the tree. It's hard to tell why he might be doing this, but it's very possible he is doing this because he wants, people to be curious about him. Everyone in Maycomb, already is interested and curious about him, but maybe he noticed Scout, and Jem, and Dill touch his house that one summer. Scout hearing Boo laugh is quite significant because it makes it possible for Boo to be alive.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: If it's possible that it is Boo leaving the tinfoil in the tree, why do you think he's doing it all? What do you Atticus will do if Scout tells him she heard laughing. Will he believe her or not?