The Importance of Mother Figures in to Kill a Mockingbird Essay Sample

📌Category: Books, To Kill a Mockingbird
📌Words: 746
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 18 June 2022

The majority of children view their mothers as female role models. Scout, the protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, lacks a motherly figure. Scout grew up with strong male role models in her life. Due to the absence of a maternal figure, some may say the novel lacks good female role models. That is not the case. Miss Maudie is a widow in her forties and a neighbor to the finches. Throughout Haper Lee’s novel, she has become a motherly figure to Scout and her brother, Jem. Miss Maudie is a good female role model because she is optimistic, teaches respect and honesty, and stands up for what’s right. 

Miss Maudie teaches Scout the ways of the world from a point of view most women in Maycomb do not. Miss Maudie has an optimistic personality throughout the novel. She has a natural ability to see the positive side of difficult situations. “You’re lucky, you know. You and Jem have the benefit of your father’s age. If your father was thirty you’d find life quite different” (104). Miss Maudie looks on the bright side of everything. Jem and Scout did not like that their father was older than the others but Miss Maudie explained that it has its benefits. Unlike most women in Maycomb, Miss Maudie will always view the world through an optimistic lens. Miss Maudie’s hopeful character is something the Finch children can develop from. Her optimism is why they should look up to her as a female role model.

Transition? Due to her positive attitude, the Finch children treat Miss Maudie with respect because she treats them with respect. “Jem and I had considerable faith in Miss Maudie. She has never told on us, had never played cat-and-mouse with us, she was not at all interested in our private lives. She was our friend” (50). Miss Maudie had built a bond between her and the Finch children. She treats the children as her equals. Miss Maudie is also relentless when it comes to telling the kids the truth. Whether it is about Boo Radley or their father, Atticus, she will always tell them the truth. Scout asked Miss Maudie if Boo Radley was still in that house, if he was still alive. “What a morbid question. But I suppose it’s a morbid subject. I know he’s alive, Jean Louis, because I haven’t seen him carried out yet” (48). Miss Maudie was straightforward with Scout; there is no beating around the bush. No matter how morbid or serious the question is she will always tell the truth. Miss Maudie is a good role model in this sense. She teaches the children how to be respectful and honest. However, not everyone sees Miss Maudie in a positive light. 

People may say Miss Maudie isn’t a good role model because she crosses the typical gender stereotypes. The stereotypes that she has to act like and dress like a lady. Miss Maudie frequently ignores the norm and wears men’s overalls. While working in the garden she likes to wear her overalls and straw hat which is not typical for women in Maycomb. Miss Maudie also does not act like the typical woman in Maycomb. She will stand up for herself and voice her opinion. “Foot-washers believe anything that’s pleasure is a sin….They thought I spent too much time in God’s outdoors and not enough time inside the house reading the bible” (49). Miss Maudie stood up against the foot-washer baptist in Maycomb. She is a baptist herself but does not follow everything exactly by the bible. It is not typical for a woman to stand up and speak her opinions. Some may argue that this is not the type of role model Scout needs in her life. People want Scout to become more ladylike; to fit the social norm. To some Miss Maudie is not a great role model in this sense. But in fact, this is actually why Scout should look up to her. Scout can learn how to have her own voice and opinions through Miss Maudie’s actions. Miss Maudie is a great representation of a female role model in To Kill A Mockingbird.

Miss Maudie is a good female role model because she is optimistic, teaches respect and honesty, and stands up for what’s right. Due to Scout living without a motherly figure, she has lacked good female role models in her life. Scout did not have a mother teaching her along the way. Miss Maudie has always been a maternal figure to the Finch children. She teaches them how to be respectful and honest. Her optimistic personality is something that the kids can develop from. They also learned how to stand up for themselves through Miss Maudie’s actions. Miss Maudie is a prominent female role model. Who is your female role model?

+
x
Remember! This is just a sample.

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Order now
By clicking “Receive Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.