In the Boo Radley passage Scout and Jem discover a knot in a tree, where they find random objects that have been placed inside the tree hole. They found chewing gum, a medal and a pocket watch. But one day they go to the tree and de that it has been filled in with cement. Scout and Jem question Nathan Radley about why he filled the whole and he claims “Trees dying. You plug em with cement when they’re sick”
However, the audience finds out the tree is not dying when Atticus tells Scout and Jem “Look at the leaves, they’re all greens and full, no brown patches anywhere.” I can infer from this that Nathan Radley wants to stop Boo Radley from communicating with the outside world. By filling the hole Nathan Radley stops boo from communicating to Scout and Jem by sending them items to communicate with them. Nathan Radley may have stopped Boo as he does not want him to be communicating with others because he may be ashamed of Boo, or he may be trying to protect him from others. He does this my isolating him and cutting of all forms of communication.
Jems reaction to finding out the tree hole has being filled is, reassuring Scout that it will be fine and that she shouldn’t cry. Jem is portrayed as a father figure in this scene showing that he is maturing. One night scout sees Jem crying. Jem does not cry because he won’t recieve anymore items. But him crying shows the audience that Jem was becoming close with Boo Radley and now that the communication is lost it really upsets him. The bond has been broken between Jem and Boo Radley, and the communication through items has been lost.
Boo Radley has been portrayed as a creepy mysterious character through out the story line by Harper Lee. But in this passage Boo Radley is shows as kind and innocent, almost like a child. The items he sends Scout and Jem are random items such as the chewing gum and the medal. Boo is a lonely character and seeks Scouts and Jems friendship and Jem started becoming connected with Boo. Jem cries because he realises Boo is an innocent lonely man, and the fact that Nathan Radley cuts of the connection by filling in the hole in the tree. Atticus states that the tree is not dying, and it saddens Jem that Nathan Radley is isolating Boo, and that it is selfish and cruel of him.
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