Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines prejudice as "an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge." This type of prejudice was what Arthur "Boo" Radley had to endure every day of his lifetime in the town of Maycomb County, Alabama. "People determined to preserve every physical scrap of the past" (185). The residents of Maycomb are, for the most part, paper-cut copies of the typical Southerner. They are very traditional, keeping much of their former beliefs and activities to themselves as possible. However, there is a notable few that do not quite fit with the rest of the town, Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch, Arthur "Boo" Radley and Charles "Dill" Baker Harris. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee skillfully shows how Scout, Jem, and Dill were prejudiced against Boo, when in fact, all these children are comparable to Boo even if they had not noticed so. Their personality differences from the rest of the town, the care of their fathers, and wanting to connect with someone are what makes Scout, Jem and Dill relatable to Boo, with their similarities mentioned respectively, also all of them share the innocence represented by the symbolism of a mockingbird. .
Since the beginning of time, society has had unwritten rules about the way that its citizens are supposed to behave. Therefore, when individuals do not follow these customary norms, the community will look down upon them or try to change them. In Maycomb, these "strange" individuals are Scout and Boo. Scout's personality is not very lady-like for a girl at the time; likewise, Boo is seen as unusual since he is reclusive. Southern women were by default supposed to be "ladies." Their definition of a "lady" was to be well-mannered, well-spoken and well-dressed. Scout does not possess these qualities; she is actually very reckless and wears overalls instead of dresses.
