Is COVID-19 the New "Boo" Radley?

By Dave Davlin

“To Kill A Mockingbird”, a novel written by Harper Lee, was published in 1960 and became a movie in 1962. The backdrop was a small town in Alabama during the Great Depression of the 1930’s when, as the movie states, "A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with.” Sound familiar?

Although there were many wonderful and memorable characters in the film including Atticus Finch, Scout, Jem, Dill and Tom Robinson, one character was never seen until the final scene of the movie. That character was Arthur Radley, better known to the townspeople as “Boo” Radley.

The ironic thing was that “Boo” only lived two houses down the street from Atticus and his two children, Jem and Scout. Even more peculiar was the fact that although none of the children had ever actually seen “Boo”, they all could tell you what he looked like. In the words of Jem, “He’s about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long, jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time."

Yes everyone, including the adults but especially the children, knew of Boo Radley and the horrible monster he was. Or, did they really?

If you saw the movie or read the book, you remember the surprise ending vividly. Jem and Scout are walking home alone after leaving the Fall Festival at the school. It’s a dark autumn night and the wind is blowing fervently through the trees along the wooded trail they are walking.

Out of the darkness, a large figure attacks the children so severely that it leaves Jem unconscious. Clouded by the ham costume she is wearing from her part in the school play, Scout’s vision is obscured but she can see the silhouette of a second figure as he wrestles with her attacker. As Scout adjusts the eyehole in her costume, she sees a figure carrying Jem down the street to their home.

As this ordeal is played out, based on the beliefs and accounts of the characters, the audience is convinced that this attack has been brought on by none other than ‘Boo” Radley. Yet ironically, in the very next scene which takes place in Jem’s room, the audience learns that “Boo” was not the attacker but in fact was the one who rescued the children from the attack.

As the movie ends, you hear the narration of an adult Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch as she says these words, “Neighbors bring food with death, and flowers with sickness, and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a knife, and our lives.”

As I think about the setting of and the characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird”, I cannot help but think about the similarities to the current situation our country faces surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are certainly not experiencing the depths of the Great Depression but somehow "A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with” seems to apply.

But even more, I think about the similarities to “Boo” Radley. As many of the townspeople had never seen the “Boo” they feared, we cannot see the virus we fear. And I wonder if we sometimes tell the story so often that, even if in our own minds, we make this monster bigger and worse than it really is.

Now, I am in no way downplaying the destruction and devastation this virus has caused. People have died, unemployment has skyrocketed, businesses have been destroyed, retirements accounts have been drastically reduced and the list goes on. This is real and it is devastating. But just like Jem and Scout, maybe our “Boo” has in some ways given at least part of our lives back to us. Even more, maybe it is the part we needed so much but did not realize we had lost.

Almost every night for the past six weeks, my wife and I have sat relaxing in lawn chairs at the edge of our driveway. I have never seen so many people walking with their families or riding bikes. I am speaking to neighbors I have not spoken to in years. Kids and teenagers who are typically glued to smartphones are running, biking and actually having non-technology conversations with their friends.

Instead of piling into cars and heading to the local eatery, families are sitting around kitchen tables, eating home-made meals and having meaningful conversations about life. Husbands and wives are spending quality time together and entire families are playing board games and watching movies. Children are playing under streetlights again and creating their own games, much like their grandparents did in the 1970’s. Balls are being bounced and thrown and skateboards are no longer covered with spider webs and dust.

Just like all seasons, the season of COVID-19 will pass and a new season will come. Scout knew this and expressed it in her final words.

“The summer that had begun so long ago had ended, and another summer had taken its place, and a fall, and Boo Radley had come out. I was to think of these days many times. Of Jem, and Dill, and Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson, and Atticus. He would be in Jem’s room all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.”

Do I miss parts of “life before Corona”? Sure, I do. And in time, we will get back to that. But for right now, I’m just happy to be on the Radley front porch … trying to find the good in “Boo” and remembering the part of life he returned to me, what he taught me and hoping not to forget when I wake up in the morning.

Dave Davlin is a professional speaker who resides in San Antonio, Texas. He received a degree in secondary education from Texas A&M University. He is a former halftime performer for NBA teams and in 1990 set a Guinness World record for simultaneously spinning twelve basketballs on his body at the same time. He now speaks to organizations nationwide on the subjects of life skills and increasing personal and organizational performance. Dave can be contacted by email at dave@davedavlin.com and by mail at 23242 Bison Canyon, San Antonio, Texas 78261. Follow Dave on Twitter @davedavlin.

Prologue (written by DJ Kyle on March 30)

The information being communicated each day surrounding the coronavirus can be overwhelming. The increasing number of those infected, the number of deaths, shelter in place orders across the US, online classes for students, a vast majority now working from home, slow internet speeds, tips for staying healthy, creative ideas of things to do or make, the quarantine 15, etc. certainly makes for an unprecedented time in our lives.

The TSPS staff has been working remotely since mid-March. I have been working at one end of our dining room table as my husband works at the other end. My son is in his room on his iPad finishing his high school senior year classes. My daughter, having graduated from college, is also working at home before she heads off to law school in August.  With the four of us at home it has provided time to ask questions and share what we are doing each day. Last Friday, my daughter told me she was writing a brief on the stimulus package for her employer to share with clients. 

This got me thinking that I had been so focused on COVID-19 numbers, hot spot cities and “essential critical infrastructure industries” that I did not know much about the details of the stimulus package and thus read her brief. Many of you may already know the details but if not, I hope you will read the brief below.

H.R. 748, the CARES Act

Reprinted with permission by Lillian Olivia Kyle, Legislative Assistant, Texas Star Alliance

While the world has been reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 virus, Congress has been working to provide relief for those effected, and supply sorely needed stimulus for the American Economy. In an attempt to lessen the impact and provide a bit of relief to American workers and businesses, the Senate unanimously passed a massive $2 trillion stimulus package late Wednesday night (March 25). Its approval in the House, however, was far from certain as both parties argued over their vision for the format the stimulus should take. However, after much debate, the House approved the stimulus package today (Friday, March 27) making it the third measure passed by Congress in response to COVID-19 and the largest economic rescue package in U.S. history. President Donald J. Trump assured Americans earlier this week that if the bill was approved by Congress, he would gladly sign it.

The stimulus package is set to provide billions in credit for struggling industries, boost unemployment insurance, and provide direct cash payments to over 90% of American adults. According to the bill, American adults who made $75,000 or less in 2019 will receive checks for $1,200. Couples who filed jointly and made $150,000 or less will receive $2,400. An individual who filed as “head of household” and earned up to $112,500, will receive $1,200. Finally, for every child in a household, an additional $500 will be received.  However, there are limitations to the package. If someone makes more than $75,000, their payment will be reduced by $5 for every $100 of income that exceeds the limits. For example, if someone made $80,000 in 2019, they would receive $950. Individuals that make over $99,000 and couples that make over $198,000 will not receive any funds. The maximum payment a family of four will be eligible to receive is $3,400.

Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said that checks will be sent out within three weeks to all of whom the IRS has information for. If someone has been working and paying taxes since 2018, there is no need to sign up or fill out a form to receive a check. Those who are on Social Security and don’t make enough to file a tax return will also be receiving a check. Unfortunately, college students who are still claimed as dependents on their parents’ taxes are ineligible.

In addition to these payments, the stimulus package will also provide roughly $100 billion in assistance for hospitals; $350 billion in assistance to small businesses; $500 billion in aid for corporations, including airlines and cruise lines hurt by the outbreak; and $150 billion for state and local stimulus funds. Unemployment insurance will also be boosted by the package for four months by increasing payments and extending the benefit to those who typically do not qualify. The bill is set to increase the maximum unemployment benefit that a state gives a person by $600 per week and ensure that laid-off workers, on average, will receive their full pay for four months. Any businesses controlled by President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and heads of executive departments are prohibited from receiving any loans or investments from Treasury programs.

The stimulus package has several provisions set in place to help aid small businesses during this grueling time. Some small business concerns will be eligible for federal-guaranteed emergency “Paycheck Protection Program” (PPP) interest-bearing, non-recourse loans for business interruption due to COVID-19. This will allow borrowers to cover payroll costs of employees, making less than $100,000, and other working capital expenses not already covered by previous federal relief laws. Small businesses that are eligible for these loans will be covered from February 15th through June 30th. In addition, borrowers who demonstrate that loan proceeds were used for eligible purposes, including payroll/benefits, mortgage interest, rent and utilities, are eligible for loan forgiveness on the PPP loan total.

The stimulus package is the third emergency legislation that Congress has approved to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The other emergency legislation includes an $8.3 billion bill for health agencies and a roughly $100 billion bill aimed at providing free coronavirus testing, some paid leave and unemployment benefits, as well as additional Medicaid funding and food assistance.

View all TSPS COVID-19 updates and resources.