Miss Maudie Aunt Alex Term paper
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The Maycomb ladies provide an excellent example of racial prejudice, and a failure to see what it is like in someone else’s skin. They believe they are doing well by making money for missions, failing to see the hardship on their own doorsteps. Aunt Alexandra is very important to the novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ as she is a representative of these viewpoints, disapproving of Calpurnia and disassociating herself from the black community entirely. Miss Maudie however is the counterpoint to Aunt Alexandra. Maudie offers Scout a female role model, whereas Aunt Alexandra tries to make Scout more ladylike, to fit in with her position in life. Aunt Alexandra plays the greatest role in reinforcing class distinctions within the Finch family. As she believes that because the Finch family comes from a long line of landowners, who have been in the county for generations, they deserve greater respect than other people do and therefore must behave according to their status. However her prejudice alienates her from the tolerant Finches, but she fits in well with the rest of Maycomb.
Aunt Alexandra has strict and traditional ideas of how society works and the role for a Southern woman within it, which she tries to enforce upon Scout at the beginning to this novel. ‘When I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.’ Scout immediately takes a dislike to Aunt Alexandra when she criticises her about her overalls. Aunt Alexandra fits in well with the neighbours in Maycomb, but not with the children, as she demands different standards of behaviour from what they are used to. Aunt Alexandra does create an impact during her stay when trying to influence the children during their crucial years of growing up. Atticus is worried that he is not doing his best for his children and is torn between being courteous to his sister and raising Jem and Scout as he sees fit. ‘Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon you and Jean Louise that you are not from run-of-the-mill people,’ ‘She asked me to tell you….’ Atticus doesn’t really want to do this but realises it’s important to his sister, Jem and Scout can sense this as he keeps saying ‘She asked me to tell you…’ Aunt Alexandra plays a major role in Jem and Scout’s understanding of Atticus’s teachings on racial discrimination and prejudice. She provides an excellent example to the children of the type of discrimination, which goes on in Maycomb County when she expresses her views. However, she takes some of Atticus’s teaching into account during her stay and provides the children with one of the greatest lessons she could give them, when throughout the novel she learns to be less prejudiced herself, helping the children to learn to be less prejudiced towards her.
Miss Maudie however is a sympathetic presence in the children’s lives, and is a positive influence on their development. She is liked and respected by Jem and Scout probably due to her understanding of them. Unlike Aunt Alexandra she treats them with kindness and respect, she genuinely enjoys their company, bakes them cakes and most importantly does not talk down to them, showing clearly how Aunt Alexandra and her differ, although they both have the children’s best interests at heart. Miss Maudie can see that Aunt Alexandra is trying to convert Scout from a tomboy to a respectable young lady, however she understands Scout better than Aunt Alexandra does and realises that Scout won’t convert to the ideal niece Aunt Alexandra wants her to be just because she’s made to wear a dress occasionally. Miss Maudie shows the reader why Jem and Scout respect her so much at the missionary tea party, You’re mighty dressed up, Miss Jean Louise,’ she said. ‘Where are your britches today?’ ‘Under my dress.’ showing Scout that she is not like all the other Maycomb ladies that her aunt wants her to be like and she does have a full understanding of her. Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra differ greatly in some aspects, as Miss Maudie has not time for hypocrisy and is always straightforward and honest with the children. The children can see that Miss Maudie is very like Atticus in many ways. She shares similar beliefs to Atticus especially about prejudice and lack of humanity. When Miss Maudie describes the trial as a ‘Roman carnival,’ this image sticks in Scout’s head and helps her to understand that Miss Maudie is a very individual character, who shows courage by holding views different from those of other people in Maycomb.
Miss Crawford disapproves of the children being in court, especially on the Coloured balcony. Miss Maudie however treats the children no differently and even bakes them cakes as a treat. When Jem arrives home heartbroken from the verdict, Aunt...
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