Since the "malevolent phantom" refers to Boo Radley, the
phrase is a metaphor as Scout makes an unstated comparison between Boo and the evil
ghost/"malevolent phantom." However, there is a bit of hyperbole attached to this
metaphor since Boo Radley is hardly an evil ghost, and to call him "a malevolent
phantom" is clearly an exaggeration.
Of course in the
final chapters, Scout learns that Boo Radley is truly a person and a person who
possesses commendable characteristics, especially heroism. But, in Chapter One, Scout
and Jem believe that the Radley Place, which juts into a sharp curve beyond their house,
is a strange and frightful place because the Radley's keep to themselves, and Boo has
not been seen outside for years. Superstitions are attached, then, to the Radley home.
None of the black community will walk past the house in the evening; supposedly people's
chickens and household pets have been found mutilated; pecans shaken from the schoolyard
tree that fell into the Radley yard were never touched.
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