Scout arranged things so that "if Miss Stephanie Crawford was watching from her
upstairs window, she would see Arthur Radley escorting [her] down the sidewalk, as
any gentleman would do." Why did she do that?
As Scout leaves the Radley porch, she looks out at the neighborhood and recounts the
events of the last few years from the Radleys' perspective. Why is that important?
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Boo Radley was not at all what Scout or I expected. Well, he was a pallid creature that I pictured in my head as being similar to Gollum, but he wasn't a monster like how he was described almost throughout the entire book. He helped Jem and Scout get back home after they were attacked that one night. Scout was pretty mystified because she had seen Boo at all.
"...I found it incredible that he was standing beside me all this time..."(227)
His hand was even "surprisingly warm for its whiteness" (277). During his entire stay at Scout's house he barely spoke at all. When it was time to go, Scout escorted him out.
I think the reason Scout did the whole Miss Stephanie seeing a "gentleman" thing was for a few reasons. For one, Atticus had taught her to picture things from another point of view. I also think the Scout realized that Boo wasn't this horrible monster who spent all his life in a basement (though he probably did), he was a human being with good intent. That is where the gentleman part comes from.
Later Scout recounts the events of the last couple of years having to do with Boo. Once again, she was imaging things from another view, Boo's in this case.
"Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing at the Radley porch was enough." (279)
Scout arranged it so that Miss Stephanie Crawford would see Arthur Radley escorting her down the sidewalk because that way Miss Stephanie would see that Arthur Radley is a normal man that cares for others and is not a monster.
I think that it is important that Scout goes through all of the events that have happened from the Radley's prospective because she understands and realizes things about the Radley's and why they would not want to be too involved with the public.
Scout did this to show Mrs. Crawford that Boo was a human being and that he was not that bad as people said he was. Scout did this (as Sheril said before) to show Mrs. Crawford that Boo Radley was not a monster.
And through all the events that happen in the story, she learns what i just said above, that Aurthur (Boo) Radley was not a monster after all.
I agree with everyone that wrote before me, but I would like to add a few things.
Scout made sure that Miss Stephanie Crawford would see her walk down the sidewalk with Arthur Radley escorting her because she knew that she was a blabbermouth and would talk about it to everyone. Scout probably wanted to let everyone know that Arthur “Boo” Radley was not a bad person. Miss Stephanie would realize it, and she would be like a radio station telling everyone about it.
Her recounting of the events these few years from the Radleys’ perspective is important because it shows how mature she became after those four years. At the beginning parts of the book Atticus told her that you would never know how a person feels until you walk around in their shoes. Scout understands that concept now, and she is trying to understand Boo. Scout says, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them."
Scout said this because if Miss Crawford was watching she would have seen that Boo was not a moonster (as Isabela said). Boo was just as any other gentelman in Maycomb. Miss Crawford would have seen just as Atticus said.
"Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing at the Radley porch was enough."
(pg. 279)
This would have teached everyone in Maycomb to not judge a book by its cover, if they had all seen this.
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