Chapters 26/27 - "The Radley Place had ceased to terrify me, but it was no less gloomy, no less chilly under its great oaks, and no less uninviting." Explore this with reference to Scout's development. (Nicholas Kolbas)

Scout's summer taught her much more about life issues out in the world, making her look down upon her earlier frights at the Radley Place with a whole new idea of problems. The problems throughout Scout's past few school years mainly consisted of her fear toward the Radley Place and more specifically Boo Radley. Truly, her one concern when she woke up in the mornings was Jem's latest attempt to scare Boo out of the house. This past summer, Scout got her first look at real issues and frights of the world around her. Witnessing Atticus's scene at the courtroom, Scout learned about the important everyday problems adults have to face. This makes Scout look back at her petty frights and concerns with Boo Radley during previous years and realize how childish it seems and was. "I sometimes felt a twinge of remorse when passing by the old place, at ever having taken part in what must have been sheer torment to Arthur Radley" (Lee 324). She then goes on to describe their shameful attempts to try to draw Boo out of the house. This quote demonstrates Scout's advancement in understanding how she has changed over past years. She realizes for the first time what it must have felt like in Arthur's shoes, a group of kids creeping up on his property at night, sticking notes on fishing poles in his house, and so on. This illustrates Scouts growth recently, not just changing, but realizing her changes as well. However, still being a child, the Radley Place with its gloomy oak trees and creaking shutters still creeps Scout out a little. Boo is still a mysterious person to Scout in the book so far, and although she is starting to understand the world's everyday issues more and more, she still leaves a place inside herself for her childhood fears of the creepy and secretive Boo Radley.