In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch, the narrator, tells the story of her childhood in the town of Maycomb County during the Great Depression. One person who greatly impacts Scout’s life throughout her youth is Miss Maudie Atkinson. Miss Maudie is a friendly neighbor of the Finches who respects the Finch children and is quite honest with them, despite their young ages. A woman who exhibits high integrity, Miss Maudie is also sincere and has strong moral principles. She continually defends the minorities of Maycomb County including Arthur Radley, who is also known as Boo. In Maycomb County, the citizens completely disregard Boo as a human being and are frightened by him because he rarely comes outside of his house. The one time
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Having integrity means that one has the will to have consistent and honest opinions despite pressures that society places on them. One summer, Scout asks Miss Maudie if Boo Radley is alive as Scout has never seen him before and has heard rumors about his existence, which are false because the people of Maycomb County have not had much interaction with him. Miss Maudie quickly responds to Scout by stating that Boo is indeed alive and that Scout is simply being nonsensical. Additionally, when Scout asks Miss Maudie if the ghastly rumors she has heard about Boo Radley from the citizens of Maycomb County are accurate, Miss Maudie reassures Scout that they are simply just gossip. Miss Maudie then recalls her own interactions with Boo Radley: “I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how” (61). Clearly, Miss Maudie has a consistent attitude toward Boo Radley since her early interactions with him. She has firm beliefs about the humanity she sees in Boo because she repeats that Boo “spoke nicely.” Moreover, Miss Maudie’s views are truthful because she has formed her own opinions of Boo Radley by having conversations with him, which differs from most of the people in Maycomb County because they speculate his personality. Miss Maudie continues to believe her own thoughts despite the popular belief of Maycomb County when she says “no matter what folks said he did” to contrast her own opinion from them. Thus, Miss Maudie’s own honest and unchanging perspective on Boo Radley demonstrates her
Having integrity means that one has the will to have consistent and honest opinions despite pressures that society places on them. One summer, Scout asks Miss Maudie if Boo Radley is alive as Scout has never seen him before and has heard rumors about his existence, which are false because the people of Maycomb County have not had much interaction with him. Miss Maudie quickly responds to Scout by stating that Boo is indeed alive and that Scout is simply being nonsensical. Additionally, when Scout asks Miss Maudie if the ghastly rumors she has heard about Boo Radley from the citizens of Maycomb County are accurate, Miss Maudie reassures Scout that they are simply just gossip. Miss Maudie then recalls her own interactions with Boo Radley: “I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how” (61). Clearly, Miss Maudie has a consistent attitude toward Boo Radley since her early interactions with him. She has firm beliefs about the humanity she sees in Boo because she repeats that Boo “spoke nicely.” Moreover, Miss Maudie’s views are truthful because she has formed her own opinions of Boo Radley by having conversations with him, which differs from most of the people in Maycomb County because they speculate his personality. Miss Maudie continues to believe her own thoughts despite the popular belief of Maycomb County when she says “no matter what folks said he did” to contrast her own opinion from them. Thus, Miss Maudie’s own honest and unchanging perspective on Boo Radley demonstrates her