At the end of the novel, Scout remarks that “Boo gave us a broken watch, two dolls, and our lives ...neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad” (320). In fact, they never even got to put the thank you note inside the oak tree.
Is this true, however? Did they realize give nothing to Boo? Please support your response.
19 comments:
I think the children did give Boo something. They gave him entertainment and something to do. they entertained him with the games they played with Dill in their front yard, the attempts to get him to come out, and the time they rolled Scout into his yard in the tire gave him something to laugh about. They gave him a way to entertain himself with making and leaving presents for him, and also gave him someone to watch out for.
the children gave Boo a reason to live and do something with his life. protecting the children and thinking of them as his own was his way of living because he didn't live for anything else. the children's existence itself gave a reason for Boo to look forward to another day.
I agree. I think the kids do give Boo something...love. They show him what real love is. Boo has never known anything like that before because his parents and brother weren't nice. By getting to know them through the knothole and watching them across the street, Boo understands them and begins to love them as his own children.
I also feel that the kids gave Boo something. Not only did they give him entertainment and a small break from being trapped in his own house, but they gave him a reason to keep living. They gave him hope because nobody really respected him and the citizens made up rumors about him and Jem and Scout proved to him that not everyone's the same. Also, because Jem and Scout are only children, it helped him to believe that he is a child just like them.
The children gave Boo more than he could ever ask for, they gave him his life back and also a sense of connection with human beings. They gave him love and gave him something to believe was good in the world.
The kids may not have physically given something to Boo in return, but they did complete his life. The kids gave Boo something that can't be wrapped up and handed to someone. They gave him love and family. As he would watch them he felt home. They were his life and his heart and they just don't realize what an amazing gift they gave back to him. They were his "kids" and they gave him a real loving family!
I think that Boo sort of lived his childhood through Jem and Scout. He never had a true childhood of his own, and he feels very protective towards the Finch children. He wants to have a nice childhood; he does not want them to have a childhood like his.
The children gave Boo every thing. Thanks to the kids Boo had a reason to live and to hope. Through the kids Boo gained courage and over came fear.
Jem and Scout definatly gave BOO something..although they didnt physically give hiim something. they gave him love and joy...and as sarah said, they also gave him entertainment. Since Boo has been locked up for years,he finds himself very bored for most of the time. so the kids ammuse him and give him something to look foward to each day.
I think that the kids give Boo more than he can ever ask for. They are his reason to wake up every morning. They are his "happy place." They provide him with entertainment, but more then that they give him a family and people to love even though they don't realize it.
I think the Jem and Scout gave back to Boo. They give Boo the idea that not all people are filled with hatred and prejudice. People make up rumors and lies about Boo, and Jem and Scout prove them wrong. They give Boo something to look forward to each day. Boo really doesn't live for anything, except the children. He knows how grateful they are for him saving their lives; everyone is grateful. Even though they don't physically return something to Boo, I think they returned everything. Boo doesn't really expect anything back, though. When he gives Scout the blanket, if she was to return it with a thank you, he would've got into trouble. He loves the children unconditionaly, therefore wanting nothing in return, but getting everything and more back anyway.
Yes. The children gave Boo everything!! Like Maria said he was given love, and a reason to live.
It would have been nice if the children did give him a thankyou letter but it wasnt necessary. Boo already knew how much the children loved his gifts.
They were his children...
i think that the children gave Boo something to wake up every morning to. Each day they had a new exciting adventure. i also agree with everything already stated. however i think the most important thing they gave him was acceptance. this is worth more to Boo than the things he gave them.
Scout and Jem served as children to Boo, things he never had. This made Boo so glad, because he was able to pass down his possessions to them as if they really were his children. Boo also gets joy out of seeing the children play their silly games. He does not need a thank you card.
Yes, the kids couldnt give him a thank you note but they gave him the courage to come out of his house and save the kids. Without them he would have never been able to show anybody that he was normal once and now he is just a kid stuck in an adult body.
The children never actually give Boo a physical gift, like a toy or letter, but they do give him something more important. The give him a family or a friendship. SOmeone who he can look after and care for. I think Jem and Scout made Boo fell less lonely too, so I do not think Jem and Scout gave Boo nothing.
The children didn't give Boo nothing. They gave Boo a family to look after. They also gave Boo a lot of love which helped him since he lived a lonely life stuck in the house.
What the children give Boo is a sense of parenthood. And like most children don't write letters to their parents thanking them for things, Boo wasnt expecting one either. The children also gave Boo a way to get through the day. Boo would watch the children play through his window and would be entertained by it.
Thank you for your posts. This thread is now closed.
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