The Boo Radley games are part of childhood. They
represent a curiosity, but fundamental lack of understanding, of the world. As she gets
older the games get more complex and actually involve interacting with Boo, such as the
incident with the tire and the pants. Boo becomes humanized, and the children no longer
make fun of him.
At first, the desire to see Boo was part
of a game. Boo was a scary monster, and the children dared each other to go near his
house. Eventually, they became interested in Boo as a person because he began to
communicate with them. When the finally meet Boo, they realize that he is gentle and
shy. He is their protector and saves Scout from Bob Ewell. Scout returns the favor by
protecting him- understanding him.
When Atticus sees the
games he disapproves, because he realizes that the story of Boo is really a sad one. He
wants to teach his children to be tolerant. Atticus may or may not know about the
pants, but he does realize that something has changed in the relationshipe between his
children and Boo. Eventually, Scout grows to confide in Atticus about Boo, but not the
Boo of her childhood- Boo as a person.
Scout's interest in
current events centers around the economy, the discussion of Hitler, and the trial. As
Scout gets older, she begins to understand how these affect her and she learns about
them in terms of how people should be treated.
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