TO KILL A MOCKING-BIRD CHAPTER 31 ANALYSIS HARPER LEE

Plots/events Boo Radley stands up awkwardly and out of place, he indicates that he would like to say good night to Jem. “Every move he made was uncertain, as if he were not sure his hands and feet could make proper contact with the things he touched” - We can gather from this that he cares about the children but finds it difficult to show this. Scout leads Boo to Jem’s room and he “looks as though he had never seen a boy before” Boo lifts his hand to touch Jem and then drops it, Scout tells him that “It’s okay to pet him, Mr. Arthur, he’s asleep.” Boo then indicates that he would like to leave and Scout, who was “beginning to learn his body English” obliges and leads him out to the porch. He then asks Scout to take him home “He almost whispered it, in the voice of a child afraid of the dark.” Scout decides that she would lead him through the house, but she would never lead him home, so she adjusts Boo’s arm so that the neighbors would see Arthur Radley escorting her down the sidewalk and not the other way around. They reach the house and Boo gently releases Scout’s hand and heads inside. Scout never saw him again. – This scene in the book is very important in showing readers Arthur Radley's character, this chapter demolishes any possibility of truth in the frightening rumors that were spread about him and reveals his caring and unsure nature. As Scout stands on Arthurs porch she suddenly understands what her father has been trying to tell her all along, she sees the events of the previous years through Boo’s eyes and realizes that you never know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.

PLOTS/EVENTS Scout arrives home and finds Atticus reading a book of Jem’s called “The Grey Ghost” Scout asks Atticus to read it to her and after a while he agrees and begins reading. After a while Scout falls asleep, Atticus gently stands up and walks Scout to her room. Scout begins to tell Atticus about the book, proving that she’s been listening. She explains that in the end a character that the other character thought was bad turned out to be ‘real nice’ and Atticus says, “Most people are Scout, when you finally see them.” He then turns out the lights and goes to Jem’s room and Scout knew that “He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.” - This line, which ends the book, shows how much closer the Finch’s have become as a family during the events of the past years.

CHARACTERS Boo / Arthur Radley This chapter shows readers who the real Boo Radley is and subtly explains a lot about his character We learn that he is uncertain and unsure of the world around him, he is quiet and communicates differently to most people. We understand him in a way we never could in the rest of the book, we see how much he cares for Scout and Jem, but also his uncertainty at how to show this. “His mouth was open, he looked at Jem from head to foot. Boo’s hand came up, but he let it drop to his side.” He wants to know the children and receive comfort from them, an example of this is when he asks Scout to walk him home, “He almost whispered it, in the voice of a child afraid of the dark.” After Boo goes back into the house Scout never sees him again, but we now have confirmation that he is not the terrifying man that everyone makes him out to be.

CHARACTERS Atticus Finch During this chapter we learn a lot about the character of Atticus Finch in the way of his feelings towards his children and his attitude as a father. The final sentence “He would be there all night and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning” shows Scout’s complete trust in Atticus and that she has no doubt that he will be there for Jem no matter what. Throughout the book Scout and Jem’s relationship with Atticus has changed dramatically. At first Scout saw him as a good father, perhaps a bit boring and old, but still good. As the novel goes on she learns more about his past, sees him working so hard on the trial and begins to understand what a good and honest person her father is. By the end of the book Scout trusts and loves her father more than ever and knows that he feels the same way about them. Scout Finch During this chapter Scout finally understands what her father has been trying to say to her about “needing to step into someone else's skin before you can judge them” and whilst discovering this on Boo Radley's porch she lets go of her silly childish thoughts and ideas about Boo and becomes more mature and begins to understand him.

SETTING This chapter is set at the Finch’s house and the Radley Place. During this chapter Scout sees her neighborhood from an entirely different perspective as she stands on Boo Radley’s porch. She sees the setting as he would have seen it throughout the years. She sees all the seasons and the different events of the year from Boo’s perspective and in his surroundings. “I had never seen the neighborhood from this angle, there were Miss Maudie’s, Miss Stephanie's – there was our house.”

ThEME Good and Evil In this final chapter readers are positioned to see Boo and Atticus as possibly the only two characters that are nearly entirely good. Learning / Growing Up During this chapter Scout finally understands what her father has been trying to explain to her this whole time “You never really know a man until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” Scout stands on Boo’s porch and sees the previous years through his eyes and the events that occurred during them. She sees the seasons and what the neighborhood looked like during them. She sees the major things that happened through Boo’s eyes and finally understands what it is like to be Boo Radley and what he must have experienced.