Boo Radley And Tom Robinson Essay, Research Paper

Boo Radley and Tom Robinson

Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson were outcasts to the society of

Maycomb. Boo was locked away in his house, where Tom was a black man.

Racism was very bad in the 1930 s. No one wanted to be a black man s

friend and if someone said he had done something wrong, he had obviously

done something wrong. Like in Tom s case. Tom had been framed for

rape, which he didn t do.Tom never harmed anyone (Lee, 195) Racism led

to his punishment, as he was carried away from the courthouse to jail.

Tom was an ordinary black man. He had a wife and kids and was

stuck in a place full of racism. Boo on the other hand was white and until he

stabbed his father in the knee, was ordinary too. Boo was locked up in the

courthouse until his father brought him home, where he stayed for many

years. He sometimes came out though, but only during the night. He

sometimes tried to connect with the outside world by putting gifts in the

trees for Jem and Scout (Lee, 278), only to be cut off by Nathan Radley

cementing the hole shut.

Tom and Boo both had similar qualities they both had affects on

different characters in the story. Like Atticus for example. Atticus had to

represent Tom Robinson in court for a crime Atticus knew Tom didn t even

commit. Atticus also knew that they had probably already lost the case, due

to racial prejudice. With all the evidence that Atticus had gathered, none was

even considered due to racial discrimination. Mayella was beaten on the left

side of her and Tom s left arm wasn t even useable (Lee, 179). Boo Radley

on the otherhand had helped Atticus, by saving the lives of his children, Jem

and Scout. Bob Ewell tried attacking both Jem and Scout, but only hurt Jem.

Boo came and killed Bob Ewell by stabbing him under the rib cage with a

kitchen knife (Lee, 266). He quickly carried the unconsious Jem to the Finch

house. Then and there Atticus had proven to Scout that Boo was none other

than a human being, not a monster.

The children all along thought Boo was a monster. He scared them, as

they wondered about him. He had been watching the kids as they play the

game about him. Not knowing it. During the story he was put to shame, as

he wasn t allowed contact to the outside world. Tom had also been put to

shame as he was being labelled not only as a nigger but a rapist too.

Tom Robinson had only went into the Ewell house to chop up a cabinet, but

was then framed for rape. Bob Ewell couldn t take the blame for raping his

daughter, so he blamed it on Tom. Saying that Tom was the one who had

raped his daughter.

The comparison between both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley is that

they were both prejugded by the citizens of Maycomb. Neither Boo or Tom

was given any help between there troubles. No one helped Boo when he

went crazy, they just locked him up and hoped it would go away. Tom they

just wouldn t listen too because he was black. Both went through almost the

same troubles and both were unhelped, which led to the death of Tom

Robinson and the way Boo was locked up in his house. No one even cared.