Miss Maudie
Throughout the story, Miss Maude has proved to be an incredible feminine influence on Scout and a wise mentor for Scout and Jem. At the beginning of the story, the readers are introduced to Miss Maudie as a “chameleon lady” (56) who worked in her garden in men’s clothing but in the evening, she would show up on the porch in “magisterial beauty” (56). She sees from Miss Maudie that being a lady does not mean she has to suppress her interests and prevent her from doing things she love. Scout instinctively trusts and has “considerable faith in Miss Maudie” rather than other women in her life such as Miss Stephanie even though Miss Maudie does not go around “doing good” (59) like Miss Stephanie. Although Miss Maudie has a sharp tongue …show more content…
As the story progresses, she leans towards a feminine style similar to that of Miss Maudie. For example, in chapter 24, Scout tries to be ladylike by wearing a dress and carrying the tray of goods to the ladies having their missionary tea; even though she tries to be ladylike, she still had to wear trousers underneath her dress, and she couldn’t help getting bored by their ladies’ talk and going back to dreamland. Even when she does try to listen to them, she is confused by their hypocrisy. In the middle of their tea, they are interrupted by Atticus with the news that Tom was dead. The women are shook, but they continue to put on a happy face to go back and serve the other ladies. She sees how strong the ladies were- to hide their emotions and stand strong when they have to even in the face of extreme distress. Scout sees this and tries to learn from their bravery and set out to …show more content…
For example, when Scout and Jem wonders if Atticus’ had any admirable skills, Miss Maudie reveals to them (after he shot the dog) that he was once known as the deadliest shot in Maycomb. It provides them a whole new perspective to how they see their father- not just an old man but one that they can be proud to show off. Later on, when Jem was disheartened after the trial, Miss Maudie is able to provide some counsel to Jem. She drops some hints to help Jem look at the result in a different light: “Did it ever strike you that Judge Taylor naming Atticus to defend that boy was no accident?” and “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long like that. And I thought to myself, well, we’re making a step- it’s just a baby step, but it’s a step” (289). She helps Jem question the result of the trial- that maybe not everything is as it seems and appointing Atticus on that trial was something Judge Taylor wanted to do to help the community recognize their own blindness to the evil in their community. Maybe, just maybe, that trial was actually a major victory for Atticus in a sense. Because of this little push, he starts to question the law and the juries in chapter 23 and as he does so, he starts to develop his own values and morals that will likely affect his life and decisions
Throughout the story, Miss Maude has proved to be an incredible feminine influence on Scout and a wise mentor for Scout and Jem. At the beginning of the story, the readers are introduced to Miss Maudie as a “chameleon lady” (56) who worked in her garden in men’s clothing but in the evening, she would show up on the porch in “magisterial beauty” (56). She sees from Miss Maudie that being a lady does not mean she has to suppress her interests and prevent her from doing things she love. Scout instinctively trusts and has “considerable faith in Miss Maudie” rather than other women in her life such as Miss Stephanie even though Miss Maudie does not go around “doing good” (59) like Miss Stephanie. Although Miss Maudie has a sharp tongue …show more content…
As the story progresses, she leans towards a feminine style similar to that of Miss Maudie. For example, in chapter 24, Scout tries to be ladylike by wearing a dress and carrying the tray of goods to the ladies having their missionary tea; even though she tries to be ladylike, she still had to wear trousers underneath her dress, and she couldn’t help getting bored by their ladies’ talk and going back to dreamland. Even when she does try to listen to them, she is confused by their hypocrisy. In the middle of their tea, they are interrupted by Atticus with the news that Tom was dead. The women are shook, but they continue to put on a happy face to go back and serve the other ladies. She sees how strong the ladies were- to hide their emotions and stand strong when they have to even in the face of extreme distress. Scout sees this and tries to learn from their bravery and set out to …show more content…
For example, when Scout and Jem wonders if Atticus’ had any admirable skills, Miss Maudie reveals to them (after he shot the dog) that he was once known as the deadliest shot in Maycomb. It provides them a whole new perspective to how they see their father- not just an old man but one that they can be proud to show off. Later on, when Jem was disheartened after the trial, Miss Maudie is able to provide some counsel to Jem. She drops some hints to help Jem look at the result in a different light: “Did it ever strike you that Judge Taylor naming Atticus to defend that boy was no accident?” and “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long like that. And I thought to myself, well, we’re making a step- it’s just a baby step, but it’s a step” (289). She helps Jem question the result of the trial- that maybe not everything is as it seems and appointing Atticus on that trial was something Judge Taylor wanted to do to help the community recognize their own blindness to the evil in their community. Maybe, just maybe, that trial was actually a major victory for Atticus in a sense. Because of this little push, he starts to question the law and the juries in chapter 23 and as he does so, he starts to develop his own values and morals that will likely affect his life and decisions