ipl-logo

Character Analysis Of Miss Maudie In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

737 Words3 Pages

Abusing the innocence of a person goes against virtuous morals. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the demonstration of the harsh reality of human behavior are revealed through the prejudicing of Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley throughout the novel, but the truth of their character later gets revealed with the guidance of Miss Maudie. Through the characterization of Miss Maudie, Lee reveals that an exemplary and sympathetic person can influence the way another individual thinks, which can lead to a positive impact on people who are prejudiced.
The act of sympathizing with a person is the first step to understanding their true character. When Miss Maudie bakes cakes for the children after the verdict of Tom Robinson’s court case is announced, Scout thought, “There should have been three littles one. …show more content…

But we understood when she cut from the big cake and gave a slice to Jem” (288). Miss Maudie giving Jem a slice from the big cake is her attempt to sympathize with him. After the verdict is announced, Jem is exposed to the reality of human injustice, and being the sympathetic person Miss Maudie is, she gives him a slice from the big cake to cheer him up. In addition to her act of sympathy towards Jem, Miss Maudie also sympathizes with one of the novel’s mockingbirds, Boo Radley. In reply to Scout’s barrage of questions on the subject of Boo Radley, Miss Maudie says, “No, child… that is a sad house. I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did” (60-61). The rumors that have been scattered across Maycomb Country have implanted themselves into the minds of the

Show More
Related

  • Essay On Scout Finch Lessons In To Kill A Mockingbird

    443 Words  | 2 Pages

    When many children are young, they do things that aren’t right because they don’t know better. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a Southern Gothic novel by Harper Lee, a young, naive girl Scout Finch has many misconceptions about others. Because of her immature ways, she learns many lessons throughout the first five chapters that alter her perception of others. To begin, Scout receives a lesson from Calpurnia. When Walter Cunningham joins the Finch family for supper, Scout mocks him for pouring syrup all over his food; as a consequence, Calpurnia speaks to her privately and reminds her that she should not be “remark[ing] on [a guest’s] ways” as if she is superior (Lee, 33).

    Read More

  • Examples Of Miss Maudie In To Kill A Mockingbird

    724 Words  | 3 Pages

    An important theme in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the relationships between all the characters and how they interact with and impact each other. For example, Miss Maudie Atkinson, one of the minor characters, always wants everyone to be treated fairly and equally. She is always caring and respects the people around her. Miss Maudie is a caregiver of the children, and is the one who helps Jem and Scout understand their father, Atticus. To begin with, Miss Maudie is a person who takes care of the children just like a mother does.

    Read More

  • Who Is Miss Maudie's Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1247 Words  | 5 Pages

    She inspires Scout to be who she wants to be, and shows that dresses are not required to be a lady. During one of the many meetings on Miss Maudie’s porch, she tells Scout, “You are too young to understand it … but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of ― oh, of your father,”(Lee 60). Scout immediately jumps to Atticus’s defense, saying that he has never drunk at all except for one time when he tried it and realized he didn’t like it. Miss Maudie laughs and explains that what she meant was, “If Atticus Finch drank until he was drunk he wouldn’t be as hard as some men are at their best,”(Lee 60).

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Kindheartedness Quotes

    609 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kindness is a universal language that everyone understands and should be willing to speak. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” one theme that has been internalized is the theme of compassion. Harper Lee truly understood the power that kindheartedness can have on a person. She wanted her audience to understand that being a kind person beats being a bitter person any day. “One can trap more flies with sugar than vinegar,” this quote embodies Harper Lee’s purpose in writing TKAM.

    Read More

  • How Does Harper Lee Use Irony In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1131 Words  | 5 Pages

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterization, symbolism, and irony to express the cloud in judgment prejudice causes when examining the morals of others. Scout is able to understand more about the town folk in Maycomb County through studying her teacher’s ironic and corrupted views of life around her. Lee uses Miss Gates, Scout’s teacher, to allow Scout a chance to understand the complexity of the adult world. While teaching the class about the Holocaust, Gates expresses the injustice being done to the Jews. She teaches the children that the town does not “believe in persecuting anybody” (Lee 329) because of the U.S. democratic government.

    Read More

  • Minor Characters In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1339 Words  | 6 Pages

    Miss Maudie also helps Scout and Jem put their father more into perspective. After the mad dog incident,which was when a dog named Tim was not alright and Atticus shoots him, Jem is astonished at his father’s shooting abilities because at first, he thought his father couldn’t do anything. Miss Maudie tells them, “Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in

    Read More

  • How Does Tom Robinson Show Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    732 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the term mockingbird symbolizes innocence in a person. In the novel it focuses on the fact that innocence, represented by the mockingbird, can be wrongfully harmed. There are two characters: Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley that are supposed to represent the mockingbird. In the novel, Tom Robinson is the best example of a mockingbird because he is prosecuted for a crime he did not commit. Also, he was judged unfairly based on the color of his skin in his trial.

    Read More

  • How Do People Shape Children In To Kill A Mockingbird

    743 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jem grows up sheltered from the evil in the world. Once the trial comes around, however, he learns out imperfect the world is through the racism and prejudice, and he struggles to come to terms with this realization. After the trial he tells Miss Maudie, who is their neighbor, how it feels like “bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon… Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world least that’s what they seemed like” (Lee 288). Miss Maudie then tries to comfort Jem, but it still shows that Jem has been changed because his childhood view of Maycomb being perfect has been shattered.

    Read More

  • What Does Maudie Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

    848 Words  | 4 Pages

    but she still stands out when compared to other individuals in Maycomb because of her loving and compassionate character. For instance, the day after the trial, Jem and Scout are provided with Miss Maudie’s famous cake, “There was a big cake and two little ones on Miss Maudie’s kitchen table. There should have been three little ones. It was not like Miss Maudie to forget Dill, and we must have shown it. We understood when she cut from the big cake and gave the slice to Jem” (Lee 214).

    Read More

  • Why Is Boo Radley Misunderstood In To Kill A Mockingbird

    411 Words  | 2 Pages

    Boo Radley who “was not seen again for fifteen years”, is the most misunderstood person in Maycomb. His childhood mistakes marginalise him from society by a “form of intimidation Mr Radley employed to keep Boo out of sight.” To elaborate, Boo did not intend to separate himself and be perceived as a “malevolent phantom.” In truth, Boo is intensely lonely and wants to befriend the children in which he saves their lives. Similarly, in The

    Read More

  • Empathy Quotes In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1087 Words  | 5 Pages

    Harper Lee and Empathy in “To Kill A Mockingbird” By Tanaka Rwodzi In Harper Lee’s critically acclaimed magnum opus “To Kill A Mockingbird;” Lee emphasizes her view on the importance of empathy through how she depicts empathy in regards to the characters Scout, Tom Robinson, and Atticus. “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a novel shown from the view of Scout, a young girl living in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s, and her and her brothers escapades; mainly their captivation over an elusive local resident who doesn’t leave his house, and the drawn-out process of a court case against a black man, Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of rape. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee emphasizes the importance of empathy to her through how she

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemmas In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1399 Words  | 6 Pages

    As the book goes on and the characters change, ethical dilemmas about fear, and racism are seen. Additionally, what the book has to say about moral values and how things are done is mentioned in this essay. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee depicts the crude reality of Ethical Dilemmas in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1950s. One of the first Ethical Dilemmas presented in the book is what are the morals of the people in Maycomb. It is clear that Maycomb has differences in how people act, but that is different on what their moral values are.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Theme Essay

    715 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird is a book mainly about the coexistence of good and evil. The book stresses and emphasizes on the exploration of moral nature in humans. There are many themes in this novel including courage, innocence, racism, femininity, etc. However the most prevalent theme in the book is innocence. Not just innocence in itself but the danger and harm evil poses to the innocent.

    Read More

  • How Does Miss Maudie Use Moral Dilemmas In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1132 Words  | 5 Pages

    Moral dilemma of characters in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird The way people handle moral dilemmas are often different. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee show various moral dilemmas and how different characters deal with it. Scout chose to be different in handling with her moral dilemma and change for the better while Mayella does not change and does wrong.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

    714 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us the righteousness of empathy. Harper Lee 's technique of writing and coinciding Christian beliefs weaved through emphasizes the importance of the story 's moral and themes. It is through Scout, the young dynamic and protagonist, that Lee opens the reader 's eyes to a realistic world of prejudice and inequality during the 1930s. Though introducing many characters throughout the novel, it is through Lee 's wise father character, Atticus Finch, that she further helps teach her readers life lessons, one being empathy. While narrating in first person, Lee further details her novel with the setting and use of style and diction.

    Read More

More about Character Analysis Of Miss Maudie In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Open Document