To Kill a Mocking Bird

Jean Louise “Scout” Finch Dramatic Monologue

Have you ever heard the name Arthur Radley? How about Boo Radley? Well, I am
referring to one person, Arthur is Boo and Boo is Arthur.
In Boo Radley’s house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I
never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down. When people’s
azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes
committed in Maycomb were his work. Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid
nocturnal events: people’s chicken and household pets were found manipulated, people looked at
the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions. A negro would not would not pass
the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked.
The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot; from the Radley chicken yard
tall pecans trees shook their fruit into the school yard, but the nuts lay untouched by the children:
Radley pecans would kill you. A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no question
asked. Miss Stephanie said that Boo stabbed his father and stared at her through her window one
night.
But who is the real Boo Radley? I’ve never seen him once. Is he scary? Did he put those
wriggley gum that I discovered in Radley tree hole? Did he also leave two old and rare Indian
pennies in the hole in the tree which Jem found? Did Boo really put them there?
When we tried to get a look at Radley house, I saw a shadow and we ran back then-
BANG! I reckon that was Boo who shot the gun. Jem loosed his pants, but we were not caught.
Jem returned after dark for his pants and he found it stitched and folded on the fence post waiting
for him. Did just Boo Radley fix Jem’s pants?
On the same night, we went outside to be safe from the flames at Miss Maudie's house.
Jem and I were exhausted when I suddenly realized that I have a blanket around my shoulders.
(Whispering)I reckon Boo Radley had put it on me without me noticing.
After the fire incident, I never heard about Boo Radley.
A year pass after my father defended a negro and received threats from Bob Ewell but no
news about Boo Radley.
It was the end of October after the Halloween pageant when Jem escorted me home with
my ham costume on after embarrassing myself on-stage. When a scuffle occurred on our way
home, I heard Jem being pushed away, and I felt powerful arms squeezing my costume's chicken
wire against my skin. During this attack, Jem badly broke his arm. Then I saw a stranger carrying
Jem back to our house.
The sheriff arrived at our house and announced that Bob Ewell has been found dead
under the tree where we were attacked, having fallen on his own knife. By that time, I realized
that the stranger was none other than Boo Radley, and that Boo was actually responsible for
killing Ewell, thus saving me and Jem's lives. In spite of our father’s insistence to the contrary,
the sheriff refused to press charges against Boo. Boo sees Jem one more time and then asked me
to take him home, but rather than escort him home as though he were a child, I have Boo
escorted me to his house as a gentleman would.