Miss Maudie is characterized as the kind, generous neighbor in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Miss Maudie displays her benevolence by making the children cakes, letting them play in her yard, sharing life lessons, and supporting them throughout the Tom Robinson trial. In Chapter 5, Miss Maudie is telling Scout the truth about the Radley family and shares a valuable life lesson with her. Maudie says, "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) Miss Maudie's lesson on the "foot-washing Baptists" aids in Scout's moral development. Later on in the novel, a wagon full of "foot-washing Baptists" call Miss Maudie vain because she has beautiful flowers in her yard. Maudie responds by saying, "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance!" (Lee 213) Instead of cursing or belittling her hecklers, Maudie quotes scripture to silence them.
Another quote that proves Maudie is a good person is found in Chapter 16. When the children ask Maudie if she will be attending Tom Robinson's trial, she says, "I am not. 't's morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life. Look at all those folks, it's like a Roman carnival." (Lee 213) Maudie's comments portray her as a moral character who feels sorry for Tom Robinson and his unfortunate situation.
In Chapter 22, Maudie makes cakes for the children and attempts to console Jem, who is upset after the trial. She tells him, "Don't fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem." (Lee 288) Maudie also compliments their father by saying, "We're so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we've got men like Atticus to go for us." (Lee 288) Miss Maudie's kind comments encourage Jem and Scout to see the positives in a negative situation.
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