Tuesday, November 20, 2012

How was the burning down of Miss Maudie's house a symbol in the story?

Miss Maudie is a morally upright character throughout the novel. The fire that consumes her house utterly destroys the structure. Typically, an individual who experiences such a catastrophic loss is shaken and upset. However, Miss Maudie remains in good spirits and says she hated the "old barn" anyway. The fire can symbolize the Maycomb communities' attempt to destroy Tom Robinson via prejudice. Similar to Miss Maudie's connection to her home, Atticus is connected to Tom Robinson. Even though Tom Robinson is destroyed by prejudice, Atticus remains strong and is willing to rebuild. Scout's attitude toward her community following the Tom Robinson verdict also parallels Maudie's house fire. Despite Tom being destroyed, like Maudie's house, Scout has faith in humanity and is willing to move on. The fire symbolizes racism and prejudice throughout the community. Morally upright individuals like Miss Maudie, Atticus, and Scout overcome the hatred.

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