What are three quotes from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that describe the symbol of the Radley house? The theme is "judging others is dangerous."

The Radley house is a symbol of mystery, terror, and isolation throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout, Jem, and Dill fear Arthur "Boo" Radley, who resides in the terrifying house. In Chapter 1, Scout describes the appearance of the Radley home. She says,

"The house was low, was once white with a deep front porch and green shutters, but had long ago darkened to the color of the slate-gray yard around it. Rain-rotted...

The Radley house is a symbol of mystery, terror, and isolation throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout, Jem, and Dill fear Arthur "Boo" Radley, who resides in the terrifying house. In Chapter 1, Scout describes the appearance of the Radley home. She says,

"The house was low, was once white with a deep front porch and green shutters, but had long ago darkened to the color of the slate-gray yard around it. Rain-rotted shingles drooped over the eaves of the veranda; oak trees kept the sun away." (Lee 10)

Harper Lee uses imagery to depict the dull, spooking looking residence. The description of the faded siding and rotted shingles adds to the ominous appearance. People looking at the Radley house immediately judge the family by the way they choose to maintain their home. The children see an unkept, deteriorating house and assume that whoever is inside has bad intentions. They refer to Boo Radley as the "malevolent phantom" before they even meet him. When Scout is explaining how people react to the Radley residence she says,

"A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked." (Lee 11)

The children are not the only members of the community who fear the Radleys' home. Most of the rumors about Boo Radley have been spread by Stephanie Crawford, the community busy-body. The Radleys were different from the other families in Maycomb and Scout mentions,

"The shutters and doors of the Radley house were closed on Sundays, another thing alien to Maycomb's ways: closed doors meant illness and cold weather only." (Lee 11)

Any family who kept their doors closed all year round was instantly judged. People assume that the Radley family is up to no good, and has "secrets" they are trying to hide because their doors and shudders remain closed. Toward the end of the novel, Scout is passing the Radley home and says,

"It is a scary place though, ain't it?" (Lee 341)

Scout is older, and realizes that Boo was essentially harmless. She is able to look back at her first impressions of the Radley home, and understands that she unfairly judged Boo by the appearance of his house. Throughout the novel, Boo was confined inside his home and was negatively judged because his home was spooky and old. Pre-judging others can have adverse effects on people, especially shy individuals like Boo Radley. Boo Radley was already reclusive, and the way the community judged him only gave him more reasons to stay inside his home.