In Chapter 28, why does Jem say Boo Radley must not be at home? What is ironic about this? Does he mean it? Why is it important to the kids for Boo...

On the way to the Halloween pageant, Scout and Jem must walk by the Radley house.  Even though they know by now that Boo is harmless, it’s still a moonless, scary Halloween night, and the Radley house is dark and spooky.  Jem says Boo must not be home because he hears a mockingbird singing in the Radley yard, an omen that Scout and Jem are safe going by the Radley house; this implies that a mockingbird would not sing its beautiful song anywhere around Boo’s vicinity.  It’s also ironic that Jem hears a mockingbird singing in the Radley yard because Boo is symbolic of a mockingbird who never harms anyone or anything. 

It is also ironic because Boo is always at home.   Although, Boo does seem to be in the right place at the right time in regards to the children.   He is there to wrap a blanket around Scout’s shoulders at Miss Maudie’s fire, he is able to place items in the knothole of the tree, and later he is able to save the children when he kills Bob Ewell.  Being there for the children shows that he does get out and about town sometimes; however, for the most part, Boo is still a recluse.  Luckily, he seems to keep an eye out for Scout and Jem throughout the novel, and this protective, kind side of Boo shows that he is certainly one of the main symbols of a mockingbird in the story.