Skip to main content

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, what is the meaning of Jem's statement: "I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in the...


"I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in the house all this time . . . it is because he wants to stay inside" (227).


Jem says the above quote to his sister Scout in Chapter 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird. He has witnessed the worst case of racism and prejudice in his whole life and he has been trying to come to grips with it. Jem watched the Tom Robinson trial with faith in the judicial system and in the facts of the case. Everything pointed to Tom's innocence, yet he was still convicted. Jem can't understand it at first, but after lengthy discussions with Miss Maudie and his father, he realizes that hundreds of years of prejudice, racism, and tradition were bigger than one attorney with truth on his side could fight. As a result, Jem is disillusioned and disappointed by the sad reality that people can be mean and ugly to each other. In fact, before Jem says the above-mentioned quote, he describes this disillusionment to his sister as follows:



"That's what I thought, too, . . . when I was your age. If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?" (227).



Jem then applies what he's learned about the disappointing facts regarding humanity to Boo Radley. Jem is starting to feel like he doesn't want to be part of a world that is so evil and mean; therefore, he thinks that maybe that might be the reason Boo Radley stays inside his house all of the time. Based on what Jem has learned and experienced during the Tom Robinson trial, he doesn't want to participate in life with prejudiced and racist people; and he suspects that Boo Radley doesn't either. 

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...