To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 22-31, Part III

Who is this Bob Ewell? What kind of man stoops so low as to try to murder defenseless children? One who is drunk and angry, I suppose. And who is the hero now, saving Scout and Jem from the wrath of Ewell? None other than the neighborhood haunt, Boo Radley.

At first, there is talk that Jem killed Ewell in self-defence. Atticus even goes as far as arguing with Sheriff Tate over the matter. Tate insists that Ewell "fell on his knife." His reason for trying to keep the incident hushed up is to keep the town focused on its own business and not Boo Radley's. He calls it a sin to have every woman in town all over Boo with his "shy ways." He must have learned his lesson about crucifying the innocent. Scout says, "Well, it'd be sorta like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it?"

The only words Boo Radley ever says are, "Will you take me home?" It's incredible how quickly children, especially young ones, can adapt to other people. I say this because throughout most of the time that Scout spends with Boo, he says nothing, but instead uses body language to get his point across. Boo shows us that rumor and local legends are often twisted. Arthur Radley was not the monster this time.