Question

In a minimum of 150 words, explain what Boo Radley’s motivation is in the novel.

Answer 1

Boo Radley is very reclusive and hardly ventures out into the world at all. We don't know exactly why this is, although as far as we can tell, the treatment by his family has contributed to it. It seems he is motivated by his fear of the outside world to live as recursively as he does, but his interactions with Scout and Jem show a different side. He is very caring and protective of them, although, ironically, they don't realize this for a long time and persist in fearing him as some kind of monster. He comes to function as a symbol of basic goodness and innocence, in contrast to society at large which is shown to be riddled with hypocrisy and prejudice.He is outside society and free from its vices. He is motivated by compassion and does not look for rewards. Ultimately, and crucially, he helps Scout to realize that, in spite of many grim events in the course of the novel, there is still goodness in the world.


I hope this helps!

Answer 2

It is difficult to establish precisely what Boo Radley's motivation is in the novel, as we know very little about him, and what we do know we learn about indirectly. However, we do know that he is extremely lonely and isolated, and he cannot relate normally to other people. His main motivation seems to be a desire for friends and company, and a desire to be liked. This is supported by the fact that Boo Radley seems to be very innocent and kind, and that he never does anything to purposely hurt anyone.