Changing Perceptions of Boo Radley

At the beginning of To Kill a Mocking Bird Boo is made out to look like a scary character, one that everyone is to fear. In the next few chapters strange occurrence's start happening, such as gum and other small gifts being put in a tree for Jem and Scout to find, and Jem's pants mysteriously being stitched up and folded back where he left them "When I went back, they were folded across the fence...like they were expectin' me." "They'd been sewed up. Not like a lady sewed 'em, like something I'd try to do. All crooked." -Jem. Since these occurrences can be traced back to Boo Radley, I think it shows that he's more kind than the people of Maycomb make him out to be. He helped Jem when he could have been in huge trouble, he has been watching Jem and Scout and it seems that he wants to do something for them, to help them or at least be kind, possibly he's hoping they will figure out it's been him all along. It seems that Boo is friendly, but is treated otherwise just because of his past, what he could not control, like how his parents treated him.

The conversation between Scout and Miss Maudie made me curious, because it shows that Miss Maudie knows something that she isn't letting out. It also shows that she respects Boo, because she doesn't believe any of the rumors spread around and she won't be part of all that gossip, it helps with the theory that maybe Boo isn't as bad as he seems. Also Atticus' reastion when he found Dill, Jem and Scout playing the Boo Radley game, shows that he doesn't believe all of the rumors either. He didn't want the kids to be part of the rumors, becuase Boo has feelings just like any other human and he doesn't need that from everyone.