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Who is Arthur “Boo” Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird?

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Book cover for To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, featuring a silhouette of a child under a tree and a large moon, with the title in script and — To Kill a Mockingbird This book cover is one of many given to Harper Lee's classic work *To Kill a Mockingbird* (1960). The novel won a Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and the next year was made into an Academy Award-winning film.

Arthur "Boo" Radley is a reclusive neighbor in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, who serves as a central figure of mystery and local legend for the novel's young protagonists, Scout and Jem Finch.12

Often the subject of neighborhood rumors and dehumanizing speculation, Boo is falsely characterized by local gossip as a dangerous individual who eats raw squirrels and once stabbed his father with scissors. In reality, he is a gentle, isolated figure who makes his presence felt through benevolent acts, such as leaving small gifts for the children in the hollow of a tree.12

Throughout the story, Boo represents a test of the children's moral development and empathy. His true nature is revealed when he intervenes to save Scout and Jem from an attack by Bob Ewell, ultimately killing Ewell in the process. By protecting the children, Boo demonstrates the courage and humanity that the community had failed to recognize, leading the sheriff to shield him from public scrutiny by reporting Ewell's death as an accident.32