Boo Radley, Social Recluses, and my Unfinished Talk.
Hello there. This is my first post here (^.^). This is however, not an introduceyourself post. I'll get to writing one of those someday. Until then...
So, we had Value Education as one of our courses in college. Along the duration of the course, we had to do one presentation (a seminar or whatever you choose to term it now). (un)Fortunately, I was given the topic: "Boo Radley". This was because course had a lesson (note: summary) on the story of "To Kill a Mockingbird". (You may be more familiar with the movie (#84 on IMDB's top 250) than the book.)
Given I had finished reading the book a long time ago (I don't quite remember it all now), and had watched the movie, the topic was something that hit close to home, essentially because Boo Radley is just relatable. Given the Prof. wanted something along the lines of a "Character Sketch" to help the kids in the exams, I took the chance to turn that into something of a rant (while staying as close to topic).
What does all that have to do with this post?
I was (still am), (in)famous for my nearly in-existent time-management skills. Every seminar I've been given, there has seldom been a time when I've finished within the stipulated time duration. Every time, I've been applauded off stage (prematurely clapping before the speaker finishes speaking just because their stipulated time got over. ugh). Now, this seminar had a time limit of (...wait for it...) 2 minutes. So, I was walked off stage (stage == front of class (in context of this post)) (obviously), and here I am to complete it.
Greetings. I'm here to talk about a person. A human. Foregoing the question of what makes us human, different from the savage beasts that roam the forests, and the fragility of nature that we broke and the laws we bent to our advantage; what makes us better than savage beasts?
The person I'm here to talk about is: Boo Radley. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he was underrated in the novel. Even being so, he managed to capture the essence of what makes us human (to a little extent), by raising some questions on human nature. Humans are interesting creatures. Survival drives us. Evolution gave us a headstart. The strong prey on the weak. I can't sidestep from the topic here, So.
Boo Radley, He was an unknown entity who inhabited Maycomb County. His mere description was enough to make Jem and Scout behave for days. He was a malevolent phantom who went out when the moon was high, and peeped into windows for who knows what reason. Any stealthy crimes were automatically, his work.
Once upon a time, the town was terrorized by morbid nocturnal events. People's chickens and household pets were found mutilated. Even though the culprit was Crazy Addie, people did not stop looking at Boo with a suspicious eye. The Maycomb School grounds adjoined the back of Radley's lot and the kids were warned to be extra cautious when treading there.
The Radleys themselves were raising suspicion on their own. Their actions highly troubled the townsfolk.
- They didn't go to church to attend the Sunday Service.
- Their shutters & doors were always shut.
Of course their actions were different. At this point, I am reminded of what my good friend once told me:
All families are broken. Some are better at hiding it than others.
Whenever Jem and Scout asked about the Radleys to Atticus, he never replied, but merely shook his head. A quiet nod of indifference. Unlike today's societies where people usually tend to put their nose where it doesn't belong.
One event stood out. Boo was sitting in the living room cutting up "The Maycomb Tribune". His father entered the room, and as he was passing by, Boo suddenly drove the scissors into the legs of Mr. Radley, pulled them out, wiped them, and proceeded with his activities. Mrs. Radley ran into the streets screaming "He's killing us all!". It is important to note here that Boo Radley was 33 years old by then; and had been held prisoner in his own house for more than 15 years. Are his actions justified?
I'd like to recommend here, a movie which name withheld suggested me to watch: Room. It recently even won an Oscar. All the more reason to watch it. It's the story of a 5-year old boy and his mother, who have been imprisoned since his birth. That gives you some idea of what it feels like to be imprisoned for so long, what goes on in your head, and how your social actions are affected as a result. The Shawshank Redemption is another film that perfectly captures this.
A caged whale knows nothing of mighty depths.
Boo Radley, Boo Radley. He has a name for f...God's sake. Arthur Radley. Scout had this to say, and I quote:
Having been so accustomed to his absence, I found it incredible that he had been
sitting beside me all this time, present. He had not made a sound.
In the year 2015 alone, every minute accounted for 4.2 million likes, 350,000 tweets, and 300+ hours of video. Talk about people wanting to acknowledge their existence.
(sidenote: at this point, I was walked off stage. English is not my first language, and I talking slow for comprehension's sake, giving emphasis on the words, and there were quite a few pauses, uh, and um's; so...)
We have today, the broken concept of "Man is a social animal"; or a broken concept of society. As a result, Social Recluses are usually frowned upon. The people deemed social recluses are the people who are misfits. People who do not quickly adapt to the situation they're given, and blindly follow the social norms of a given society. It's like trying to perform an explicit type conversion across two incompatible data types (You'll learn about that in the next semester.). What's worse, even introverts are social recluses now. Well, d'uh, our social skills are nearly non-existent. Etiquette? Puh-lease.
There are 1.2 million Japanese termed "Hikkimori", who are basically "shut-in" Social Recluses as a result of the education system and the pressure to succeed. The number is increasing at an alarming rate.
Every time a social recluse meets someone new, the first question they're asked: "What went wrong in your life?". They're then blamed for being cringy.
What people need to understand is that being alone is not the same as feeling lonely.
You are sometimes even deemed insane. Quoting from the movie "Shutter Island", "If you are deemed insane, then all actions that would oherwise prove you are not do, in actuality, fall into the framework of an insane person's actions. Your sound protests constitute denial. Your valid fears are deemed paranoia. Your survival instincts are labeled defense mechanisms. It's a no-win situation. It's a death penalty really."
Another trend I notice is that people who are termed social recluses in real life are generally quite social on the internet. So, is the problem with those whom you term as social recluses or with what people accept as norms in society?
There are people who find pleasure in solitude, and there's nothing wrong with being that way. What's actually important is that Arthur Radley stepped up, and came out of his comfort zone when it was really necessary and saved Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell attacks them. Personally, I feel that this action speaks a LOT, and calls out to humanity as a whole, as if emphasizing;
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.
Thank you.