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Miss Maudie Character Analysis

Decent Essays

Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird occurs during the Great Depression. Despite the setting taking place fifty years after slavery had officially ended, Maycomb County is depicted as an immensely segregated and prejudiced town. As a result, many of the townspeople assume the characteristics of other residents through town gossip and rumors. Because having a strong opinion on controversial issues in the town could lead to cruel consequences, many of the residents’ opinions and ideas are greatly influenced by others. The fear of being judged and rejected from society causes many of Maycomb County’s people to conceal the truth about the false gossip which hoodwinks the others into misinterpreting and believing the gossip. Miss Maudie Atkinson, a young widow, is one of the few characters in the novel that displays her own individuality and protests against what she does not believe to be true. Miss Maudie's positive trait of bravery makes her an asset to the Maycomb community because through her distinctiveness, she becomes a role model for individuals such as Scout Finch.
From the start of the novel, Miss Maudie's character was portrayed as a woman that was full of integrity and confidence. Even when facing unfortunate events such as a fire burning her house down, Miss Maudie is able to react to the crisis in a calm manner. Confused about Miss Maudie’s response to the emergency, Scout had expected Miss Maudie to be in the process of grieving the loss of her property,

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