Within the context of more modern
understandings of social development and disorders, it is easy to understand howis misunderstood
for much of the novel. I think labeling him as "primal" or "animalistic"
could be a stretch, and that's likely why you're having trouble finding quotes. That said, if I
had to choose a section where this type of behavior is exhibited, I would choose this:
Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The
Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by,
Boo drove the scissors into his parents leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and
resumed his activities. ()
At this point, Boo has been
banned from socialization and effectively a prisoner in his own home for fifteen years. He
likely has a great deal of pent-up angst after being inside all that time, but to drive scissors
into his father's leg without remorse and then to return to normal activities is certainly not a
typical household interaction and could be labeled as "primal" or
"animalistic."
And then, of course, there is the childhood lore.
For entertainment, , , and Dill let their imaginations run wild trying to envision who Boo is
and how he lives. Jem tries to guess his physical appearance:
Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall,
judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, thats why his
hands were bloodstainedif you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a
long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes
popped, and he drooled most of the time.
Lets try to make him come out, said Dill.
Id like to see what he looks like. (chapter 1)
That is
quite an animalistic description, but those are just the creative inventions of
children.
The ending proves that Boo has great compassion and is capable of
extreme bravery, which isn't primal or animalistic at all.
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