Inductive Leap

    Scout Finch, is a young girl, ages 6-9 (as the book progresses) who lives in the town of Maycomb Alabama. She is a tomboy who spends a lot of time with her brother, Jem Finch. Scout and her brother are terrified by their unseen neighbour Boo Radley. The adults of Maycomb are hesitant when talking about Boo, so the children place the rumors they have heard about Boo's past with their assumptions and take an 'inductive leap'. Scout leaps to her assumptions and sets her mind on being scared of Boo Radley because of the stories she had heard. With her brother Jem and her friend Dill, they plan for the summer to get Boo Radley out of his house, which he hadn't for years. The children purposely involve themselves in Boo Radley's business by asking characters in the town about him and why he hasn't come out of his home in so long. Scout, as young as she is, doesn't know any better and assumes. She takes an inductive leap too far because by the end of the novel Boo Radley saved Jem and Scout's life. Scout realized her wrong assumption and instantly regretted her opinion about Boo.

"Then I saw the shadow. It was the shadow of a man with a hat on. At first I thought it was a tree, but there was no wind blowing, and tree trunks never walked. The back porch was bathed in moonlight, And the shadow, crisp and toast, moved across the porch towards Jem.

Dill saw it next. He put his hands to his face.

When it crossed Jem, Jem saw it. He put his arms over his head and went ridged"( Lee 53)."


   The children believe this shadowed man is Boo Radley and are frozen in fright by their emotions because they are finally going to encounter Boo Radley. This shows their fear for the man, and how they assumed he was scary before even meeting him.